attract. Prairies support a whole group of organisms.” Grman’s research differs from past studies in terms of time


and scale. Some of the fields studied are up to eight acres, and she expects to monitor them for at least 10 years. “Prairie ecosystems take a long time to restore,” Grman says.


“You can’t even begin to call a field a prairie until two or three years have passed. It can take multiple generations to see results. “If we care about preserving our environment’s biodiversity


for posterity, then our work is important. These native plant species deserve to exist, and we want to help restore them and allow them to thrive.”


Out of sight Mudpuppy salamanders are common to North America’s


lakes, rivers and ponds. But unless you’ve gone ice fishing, you probably haven’t seen one in the wild. “The mudpuppy is native to Michigan and is the second-


largest salamander in North America,” says EMU Associate Professor of Biology Katherine Greenwald. “They grow between 8 and 10 inches and love cold water. Some people come across them while ice fishing.” In recent years, however, ice fishermen have reported seeing


fewer mudpuppies, leading researchers to wonder if the species is endangered. “The mudpuppy population may be suffering, but we need to get a baseline assessment,” Greenwald says. “We’re surveying the Lake Erie to Lake Huron corridor to find where the mudpuppies persist in large numbers. Since they prefer very deep and cold waters during the summer, we do much of our field work during the winter when they’re closer to the surface. We drop baited cylindrical traps through the ice. After trapping, we weigh and measure them and look for injuries.” Greenwald also takes small salamander tissue samples to her lab for genetic analysis. “Dams and other human intrusions


may cause some salamander populations


to be isolated and inbred,” she says. “Then they become more susceptible to all sorts of environmental issues. A new pathogen could


potentially wipe all of those salamanders out. “Since mudpuppies have just scales and skin, they’re


incredibly sensitive to environmental contamination. We often see issues with amphibians when there is some sort of environmental problem. Our research could help detect issues that also affect fish, birds and other animals— even human health.”


Have you seen me lately? Fewer sightings may mean the mudpuppy salamander is endangered.


photo Brian Gratwicke Eastern | WINTER 2016 25 photo Emily Grman


Prairie preservation. EMU undergraduate student Dixxon Darlington collects plant establishment data at a restored prairie.


Greenwald isn’t just focused on the southeast Michigan


mudpuppy population. Collaborators across the Midwest, New England and eastern Canada send tissue samples to her for analysis. “We’ve collected more than 300 samples since launching the


project last winter,” Greenwald says. “About 150 to 200 are from Michigan mudpuppies. We’re still analyzing the samples and haven’t made any conclusions.” A local environmental consultant is assisting Greenwald’s


team by placing flat rocks in the Detroit River to restore mudpuppy nesting areas. In the long stretches of concrete riverbed, much of the mudpuppy’s natural habitat for laying eggs has disappeared. Greenwald is also investigating a new research technique


called environmental DNA (or eDNA) to help determine if mudpuppies have been present at a certain site, even when they can’t be seen or trapped. “Mudpuppies are always shedding DNA into the


environment,” she says. “Screening water samples for their DNA could verify presence of the species. If this technique works, we could potentially screen larger numbers of rivers for mudpuppies.” For now, trapping remains the gold standard for tracking mudpuppies. But one question remains: what kind of bait do they fall for? “Mudpuppies like certain types of fish, like gobies, and they’re


also quite the cheese connoisseurs,” she says with a laugh. “They prefer Colby.” 3


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