The Striped Newt

The striped newt is a species up for contention on the endangered species list. It is a small salamander whose size can vary from 2-4 inches(5-10 centimeters). The striped newt was given the name striped newt because it has a long red stripe going down the body. The salamander has a olive-green to dark brown color and a yellow belly sometimes containing black specs. Occasionally, the salamander has a row of red spots on the side of the body. The skin of the salamander is very rough and not as slimy other salamanders. Also, the striped newt has distinctive costal grooves all over it’s body. The striped newts primary habitat are ephemeral ponds. Striped newts are both aquatic and land creatures. The ephemeral ponds can suit both of these types
of salamander. The ephemeral ponds are surrounded by flatwoods, scrub, and sandhills. The aquatic Striped Newts inhabit the ponds and the land Striped Newts live in the flatwoods. The habitat is fire-dependent, and fires that are both natural and manmade help keep and open canopy in the ephemeral ponds. The upland habitats and the surrounding ponds help complete the life cycle of Striped Newts. Over the years striped newts have a developed a range of adaptations. First, Striped Newts developed a protuberance on their toes, or something that exceeds the length of their toes. This could be because a protuberance may help the salamanders walk. It is true that when the Striped Newts habitat, ephemeral ponds, dry up they have to walk and found a new habitat. The protuberance on their toes may help them walk from one pond to another. The development of a fleshy “keel” on their back legs could possibly be another adaptation. The keel developed helps the Striped Newt swim and it is true that some Striped Newts are aquatic. The keel may help the aquatic Newts swim when in ponds. Another example is that males develop a blade-like tail. The blade-like tail helps the male protect him and his family from predators. The tail could be used as a weapon and helps to fight off predators by possibly poking or stabbing the predator. The fourth example of a adaptation is that the skin of the salamander is olive-green to dark brown. The adaptation may have been developed to camouflage themselves in their habitat. Ephemeral ponds usually have a olive-green to dark brown color, like murky waters. So the skin, which is very similar to the color of Ephemeral ponds, helps hides the salamanders from predators. Finally, the skin of the Striped Newts are much rougher and less slimy than other salamanders. This adaptation may of occurred because the rougher skin could help the salamander in walks from pond to pond. The rougher skin makes things easier to grab onto so the salamander can stay balanced. Also, the rougher skin could be more protective against predators and dangerous things in nature like a branch or rock. The aquatic and the land Striped Newts have two different types of food sources and predators. They are both opportunistic feeders but the land newts they enjoy eating spiders, worms, small insects and snails. Most of the prey is much smaller than the salamander and easy to eat. On land, predators for the salamander are mole salamanders, birds and snakes. Aquatic newts like to feast on invertebrates like shrimp, eggs, and tadpoles and are eaten by fish in the water. Yet both these newts do not eat their shed skin, which most newts do.

There are four primary factors that threaten the Striped Newts. These factors are both natural and manmade factors. The first factor is the destruction or change in habitat. Natural and manmade threats are both seen in this example. The habitat has been changed because of the conversion of pine needles into a more dense type of tree, blocking sunlight. Furthermore, lack of fire to burn down some of the trees to create more sunlight is also affecting the habitat. Yet, probably the more deadly threat is the building of urban development, which is destroying the newts habitat. Furthermore, for aquatic striped newts, droughts are starting to dry up ephemeral ponds, destroying their habitat. These problems are very threatening and will continue in the ongoing future. People are deciding to build right on top striped newts habitat, increasing destroying populations of striped newts. These ongoing threats are not planned on stopping anytime soon and need to be addressed soon. The collecting and selling of striped newts is another threat affecting the population of the species. They were collected to be used for commercial, recreational, scientific, and educational purposes. But these action took place in the 1970-80s and are not likely to happen again in the future, making this threat not deadly. A natural occurring threat against the striped newt population is disease or predation. Several disease like Chytridiomycosis have been discovered and affecting the newts population. But, it is likely, with other threats like drought or loss of habitat, that disease will not cause any major change in the population. Also, predation, after a 90 day investigation was done, was not considered a threat to the striped newt population. Right now there are no regulations that protect the striped newt in any way. In Georgia, where the striped newts are listed as threatened, they are not protected on private lands. The main habitat of the striped newts, ephemeral ponds/wetlands are not protected by the state. The lack of regulations to protect striped newts is a current problem and a problem that could be present in the future.

I believe that even though the Striped Newts are threatened and their population is decreasing, the species should not be put of the endangered species list.
The species’ main threat is the destruction of their habitat and that their is nothing regulating this destruction. Nowadays in the world, lots of lots of different species have their habitat destroyed everyday. But he species on the endangered species lists have other natural factors decreasing the population. In this case, there is not enough natural factors to put the species on the endangered species list. All that needs to be done is to make laws regulating the development of urban buildings on the species’ habitat. Furthermore, people need to step up and help preserve the ephemeral ponds, the main habitat of the striped newt. If all of those things can get accomplished, the newt’s population would be back on it’s feet. The summary of the solution given is to pretty much take care of the striped newts habitat and take the correct precautions when doing so. What the solution states to do is maintain the wetlands, but also create fire to help to habitat survive. Maintaining the wetlands would do nothing but the help the ecosystem. Other species in the ecosystem could start to thrive more in a better suited wetland. But, creating fire so the ecosystem can survive may help later in life, but affect species lives in the present. Fires could kill some of the species, decreasing the overall population. Also, even though
fires are needed in the ecosystem, the fire could wipe out a whole population. As for humans, the solution really does not impact our lives that much. Besides the fact that it takes the slightest bit out of our pocket, not much is being affected. Fires could possibly spread and become a natural disaster but, humans are smart enough to know how to contain it. Overall, the maintaining of the wetland would not really affect humans at all but would increase the population of the striped newt immensely in the ecosystem.
I predict that if this species does go extinct the ecosystem will not change that much. There may be an overgrowth of things the striped newt eats, but those things are prey to other things as well. Also, the striped newts predators have different prey that they eat besides the striped newt. The biodiversity of the ecosystem will decrease, but not by much. Even with the change occurring I do believe that the ecosystem can regain dynamic equilibrium, or a stable ecosystem.
If humans were not to intervene, many adaptations would have to take place for the striped newts to survive.
Right now, the striped newts main threat is the destruction or loss of habitat. There is not much the striped newt can do by itself to survive when their habitat is being built on. There is no mutation that can help the striped newts when there habitat is being destroyed. The only thing they can do is move to a different habitat or pond. But the other threats like drought or less sunlight is something striped newts may be able to survive through without help. Natural selection will take place if a drought continues, then most of the striped newts will die except the newts that have a mutation that can help the salamander survive in a drought. Then this mutation will be passed down generation to generation until most of the salamanders can survive in a drought. The other natural threat to the striped newts that can be survived is the sunlight in their habitat is decreasing. The pine needles and pine trees, which allow sunlight through the canopy are densing, creating a thick canopy blocking the sunlight. Even with a thicker canopy, the habitat is fire dependent. Meaning that the habitat needs fire to burn away some of the canopy to creating more sunlight. But, the habitat is lacking fire as well. The habitat needs sunlight because that is how plants survive and grow. Without plants, nothing could survive. But there is one type of plant that is thriving: the trees on
the leaves. Through the process of natural selection, the striped newts will start to die except the newt that has a mutation that can help them climb trees. If this mutation is passed down through generations, then the salamander needs to develop a diet of leaves, or eating the species that eat the leaves on the trees. If a mutation that can help the striped newt survive through drought and less sunlight, than the striped newts will be able to survive.

A new species closely related to the striped new could have been developed because of speciation. Speciation, the development of new species, is conducted through the process of isolation. The striped newt could have been living in the same big ephemeral pond that dried up into separate sections of the pond. These separate sections had different resources and living conditions, and the process of natural selection occurred. The newts adapted to their habitat differently, causing them to grow apart. Eventually, the adaptations of the newts lead them so apart that they became two different species, creating speciation.