Last summer, as part of my research rotation for the DVM/PhD program, I worked in the Hedrick Lab performing salamander work to gain insights into climate change and species conservation. My research was focused on defining the temperature and precipitation preferences of the lesser-studied Mississippi slimy salamander against the preferences of the more common Eastern red-backed salamander (which can be found all over New York!). Every Friday, I got to go out with the lab to perform fieldwork, looking for salamanders at sites all across Ithaca. From snakes to frogs, I interacted with a variety of species and got to know more about the environment and biodiversity around me! 

The framework for our research followed like so: we would trek out to established sites near waterways where salamanders were most prevalent. Here, the Hedrick Lab had established wooden coverboard arrays that provide coverage for nearby salamanders. By individually lifting each coverboard, we collected salamanders into plastic bags and were able to measure, sex, and tag them with fluorescent dyes. After collecting this information, we would return them to their coverboards, keeping track of where we found them and where they might end up the next week at field collection day. We would also write down details about precipitation, soil, and air temperature to recognize what environmental pressures these salamanders were most partial to. 

From here, I went back to the lab and compared what climates were preferred between the Eastern red-backed salamander data we were collecting in Ithaca to the Mississippi slimy salamander information that Dr. Brandon Hedrick had collected in Louisiana. I used a computer program called Open-Spatial Capture-Recapture (oSCR) in R, which was recently designed to track species dispersal across time. This allowed me to quantify and visualize where each salamander species was moving with the hypothesis that warmer climatic temperatures would lead to increased dispersal between species. Interestingly, Dr. Hedrick had found in a recent study that the Eastern-red backed salamanders were experiencing northward shifts due to climatic pressures. In my studies, I did not find similarly drastic changes in movement. Instead, I uncovered that the Mississippi slimy salamanders were moving much less in comparison to the Eastern-red backed salamanders. This went against our original hypothesis as the significantly warmer climate of Louisiana actually led to decreased dispersal. However, this may suggest that these salamanders have become well-acclimated to their hotter environments and indicates that there is hope for amphibian species to adapt to the warmer temperatures associated with climate change without the need to move away.

The hardest part of this summer experience — and I quickly found out, the most important — was learning how to use R. R is a programming software that is an amazing tool for data processing and visualization. When I entered this research project, I had a very limited understanding of computers and programming. And in no sense did I ever think I would be able to learn and utilize an entirely new coding system involved in oSCR. But with the mentorship of my amazing lab, I was able to make conclusions about these salamander species imperative for wildlife and conservation studies. And, I recognized that understanding R is the basis for many ecological and wildlife-based projects. Most ecology-based studies utilize R to some extent — whether for modelling or data analysis — making it vital for those interested in this field of study to become familiar with it. 

Through this experience, I also learned a lot about fieldwork and engaging with the environment in a research setting. From trekking through the mud and deep creeks to scaling up the hills of Ithaca, I definitely got some good use out of my hiking shoes. There were a lot of unanticipated roadblocks to performing fieldwork that I never expected. For example, performing such fine-scale injections of our fluorescent dyes on the uneven dirt ground was never easy. And having to deal with wildlife interference from coverboards getting stolen to raccoons tampering with the temperature sensors — there was always something exciting at our sites when we showed up. We weren’t allowed to wear bug spray as salamanders respire cutaneously making chemical aerosols an incredibly harmful substance in the field. As a consequence, I was pretty eaten alive last summer by the mosquitos and various other critters. But I wouldn’t trade those warm, muggy collection days for anything.

Ultimately, through this experience, I learned a lot about fieldwork, salamanders, and programming. And in developing each of these skills, I feel more confident about my ability to perform research in a variety of wild and unpredictable environments. I also feel more prepared for my DVM/PhD career path. The DVM/PhD at Cornell works as a 1.5 year vet school, then 3-4 years of PhD before returning for the last 2.5 years of vet school. Prior to picking a lab for our PhD we have to rotate in 3 labs and the Hedrick lab served as one of my rotations! This solidified that I want to pursue a PhD in Zoology and Wildlife Conservation and I’m excited to start this journey. If anyone is interested in performing salamander field work or “salamandering” as the lab calls it, feel free to reach out to Dr. Hedrick. He is always looking for new students to join in on an amazing project that encompasses all things slimy!

Isha Chauhan

Isha Chauhan, Class of 2028, is a DVM/PhD student at Cornell Vet. She is originally from Oldham County, Kentucky and obtained her B.S. in Biology at the University of Kentucky. While at Cornell, Isha has been involved in a number of wildlife and ecology explorations including research exploring raccoon parvovirus across New York state and her new research project looking at perissodactyl reproduction. She is a student technician in the imaging department, where she gets to see a wide variety of exotic species that drives her passion for wildlife work. Isha hopes to pursue a research or radiology career with a special interest in wildlife species and conservation!