Science in the Seashore Symposium

 

The 2024 Science in the Seashore Symposium hosted by the Cape Cod National Seashore’s Atlantic Research Learning Center and sponsored by the Friends of Cape Cod National Seashore will take place on September 19, 2024 from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm at Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, MA. The event is free and open to the public and will be available to an in-person audience as well as to remote attendees through Microsoft Teams.

Seven speakers will present their work on a variety of topics ranging from toads, horseshoe crabs and coyotes to Herring River and archaeology. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the wonderful science and research being conducted at Cape Cod National Seashore!

Register for the Symposium using this link: 2024 Science in the Seashore Symposium Registration.

 

 

Schedule of Presenters

Time	Presentations
9:30	Welcome and Opening Remarks – Geoffrey Sanders, Cape Cod NS – Chief of Natural Resource and Science
9:40	Title: Eastern spadefoot toad disease and surveillance in Massachusetts Presenter: Alexander Richards – University of Massachusetts, Boston Abstract: Twelve species of amphibians are known to inhabit Cape Cod National Seashore. Of particular concern is the eastern spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus holbrookii), the only threatened frog species in Massachusetts. Since 1982, only 32 populations have been verified in the state. The decline and extirpation of these populations are often attributed to habitat loss, pesticide use, and road mortality. However, disease poses another significant threat to these understudied species, particularly chytridiomycosis caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which has caused massive die-offs worldwide. Given their rarity elsewhere and disappearance from historical sites, including Nantucket, Cape Cod National Seashore is a crucial habitat for the spadefoot toads in Massachusetts. The presence of robust and stable populations underscores the park's importance as a critical habitat. Thus, monitoring the populations and health of spadefoot toads at Cape Cod is crucial for conservation. Six sites across Massachusetts were selected for sampling, considering population sizes and the locations where we had legal permission. This selection comprised three sites on Cape Cod and three off Cape Cod. We tested adult and larval spadefoot toads and cohabiting amphibians using a triplicate qPCR diagnostic test for skin infections with Bd, Bsal, Perkinsea, and Ranavirus. This study aims to determine infection prevalence across different sites. Bio: Alexander Richards is a PhD student at the University of Massachusetts Boston, specializing in amphibian disease dynamics. Having spent his summers visiting family on Cape Cod, he has enjoyed the parks within the Cape Cod National Seashore all his life. He is dedicated to contributing to the conservation efforts for spadefoot toads in Cape Cod and throughout Massachusetts. His research is supported by the 2023 Joshua A. Nickerson Fellowship.
10:00	Title: Duck Harbor: The geologic story Presenter: Katie Castagno Abstract: The tidal breach in early 2021 at Duck Harbor Beach has led to outstanding environmental change. While overwash events are typically associated with storms and stabilize quickly, the system at Duck Harbor is unique in that it has consistently been breached during astronomically high tides for almost three years. The overwash events have salt-killed more than one hundred acres of trees and shrubs in the low-lying basin behind the beach, a salinity signal can be detected more than a mile away in a tributary of the Herring River, and salt marsh vegetation is beginning to establish where a forest once was. This study uses a three-year record of elevation transects to assess how the overwash fan has evolved. We also assess how the system has changed in the past; in the historic record, we know Duck Harbor has existed as an open harbor, a marsh, and a forest, and now we are seeing the system transition again toward a salt marsh. With results from more than 200 sediment cores, we also show how the system has changed over centuries. Bio: Dr. Katie Castagno is the director of the Land-Sea Interaction Program at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, MA. Katie works at the intersections among coastal resilience, salt marsh restoration, and sediment transport. Katie lives full time in Eastham and has previously worked as an environmental educator and elementary school science teacher across Cape Cod.
10:20	Title: Technology and Archaeology: Reflections from Archaeological Site Conditions Assessments at the Cape Cod National Seashore Presenter: Dan Zoto Abstract: Recent archaeological site conditions assessments employed a combination of modern technologies like LiDAR imaging and high-accuracy global navigation satellite system receivers, and traditional archaeological methods to locate and record sites at the Cape Cod National Seashore. The talk will demonstrate how technology and traditional field methods were combined for the survey and will offer an evaluation of the different methods employed. Bio: Dan Zoto is a Hyannis-based archaeologist that has worked in cultural resource management since 2010. He is a Registered Professional Archaeologist and has published several articles on the archaeology of Cape Cod.
10:40	Title: The Impact of Saltwater Intrusion on Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Herring River, Wellfleet, MA Presenter: Kaitlyn Button Abstract: The Herring River estuary spans over 1,000 acres through the towns of Wellfleet and Truro, Massachusetts. In 1909, a manmade dike was constructed across the mouth of the river that muted saltwater exchange into the Herring River and transitioned saltmarsh into degraded freshwater habitat. The Herring River Restoration Project aims to replace the dike and gradually introduce saltwater into the estuary. In January of 2021, a tidal breach at Duck Harbor Beach caused seawater from Cape Cod Bay to overwash into freshwater portions of the Herring River. This project investigates how repeated saltwater exposure will affect the current freshwater macroinvertebrate community in comparison to 2014-2015 baseline data. This project sampled macroinvertebrates at 15 permanent sampling locations in three newly established zones: the impact zone, and freshwater and marine reference zones. We hypothesized that the impact zone would have significant changes in the benthic macroinvertebrate structure, while the two reference zones would remain unchanged from the baseline study. There was a significant decrease in the mean abundance and species richness of macroinvertebrates across all three habitat strata from 2015 to 2023. The macroinvertebrate species assemblage significantly changed in the 2023 impact and reference fresh zone driven by the complete loss or decrease of a freshwater aquatic sow bug (Caecidotea sp.) and a freshwater fingernail clam (Sphaeriidae). These results anticipate that the Herring River macroinvertebrate assemblage will undergo significant changes in response to the salinization of freshwater as intolerant species are replaced by the recruitment of tolerant species in an open estuary habitat. Bio: Katie Button is a Biological Science Technician at the Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN). She has a B.S. in Biology from Alfred University and a M.S. in Natural Resource Conservation of Aquatic Resources at Paul Smith’s College. Prior to NCBN, Katie worked as a Biological Science Technician at Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) to monitor coastal aquatic resources and completed her final Masters project on the impact of saltwater intrusion on freshwater macroinvertebrates in the Herring River, Wellfleet, MA. In addition to her time at CACO, Katie worked as a Biological Science Technician with U.S Fish and Wildlife Service on Long Island, NY to collect post-monitoring data on Hurricane Sandy coastal resiliency projects. Her interest to work with the federal government began as a Conservation Legacy Natural Resource Intern at Fire Island National Seashore, NY. These positions have given her experience with monitoring salt marsh, estuary, and freshwater kettle pond systems throughout the Northeast coast. Her work was supported by the 2024 Joshua A. Nickerson Fellowship.
11:00	Break
11:20	Title: Coyote density and occupancy in Cape Cod National Seashore Presenter: Koryna Boudinot Abstract: Coyotes (Canis latrans) underwent rapid geographic range expansion into the eastern United States in the 1900s and more recently into Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Coyotes are now locally common across Cape Cod and frequently in conflict with management activities. The objective of this study was to estimate coyote abundance/density and factors influencing their spatial distribution in Cape Cod National Seashore. We used noninvasive genetic sampling to collect DNA from scats through 8 surveys of 60 sites selected using a spatially balanced sampling design from October to December 2022 and May to August 2023. We identified individual coyotes using 12 microsatellite markers and a sex marker. We surveyed 360 km of transects (1.5 km per site) each year and collected 215 scats in 2022, of which 103 were successfully genotyped and determined to be from 57 individual coyotes. In 2023, we collected 213 scats, of which 83 were successfully genotyped and determined to be from 55 individual coyotes. We used genotype data to reconstruct coyote pedigrees and applied the Creel-Rosenblatt estimator to determine abundance/density. Pedigree reconstruction is an emerging approach that uses genetic data to infer the existence of unsampled individuals and can provide accurate abundance estimates. To estimate occupancy, we used a presence-only model to evaluate the effect of different land cover types on the probability of coyotes occurring in the landscape. Results indicate high genetic diversity (HO = 0.67) and low inbreeding (FIS = 0.05) for all coyotes sampled in 2022 and 2023, suggesting reasonable gene flow from populations elsewhere. Pedigree reconstruction indicated the presence of 81 individuals (± 10.2 SE; density = 0.46/km2) with higher precision compared to other common modeling approaches including Huggins closed capture (71 ± 11.2 SE) and spatially explicit capture-recapture (90 ± 13.9 SE). Occupancy across the landscape was high, and our top model indicated that the additive combination of proportion of forest cover (250 m radius), proportion of barren land (250 m radius), and distance to development most influenced occupancy probability. Effects of each covariate were positive. Altogether, these results demonstrate the utility of noninvasive genetic methods in a pedigree framework for estimating abundance at a landscape scale that can be used to inform management of this widespread, but elusive, large canid. They also suggest that coyotes in this landscape are not isolated and likely connected across the broader landscape and potentially into mainland Massachusetts where reported density is similar. Bio: Koryna Boudinot recently completed an MS in Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, where her research focused on the behavior and ecology of coyotes on Cape Cod National Seashore. During her time at the Seashore, she gained hands-on experience as a shorebird intern and technician in 2021 and 2022. Currently, Koryna is pursuing a PhD at the University of Idaho, where her research centers on the impact of harvest on gray wolves. Her work aims to inform wildlife management and contribute to the broader understanding of predator-prey dynamics in complex ecosystems.
11:40	Title: Estimating coyote diet and predation on threatened shorebirds using DNA metabarcoding on the Cape Cod National Seashore Presenter: Carolyn Hanrahan Abstract: As the world continues to change due to climate change and human modification of landscapes, some species have become threatened or extinct while others thrive in these new conditions. The coyote (Canis latrans) expanded its range across North America since the early 1900s and arrived to Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the 1970s. The Cape Cod National Seashore, located on outer Cape Cod, is a protected area that contains important nesting habitat for two federally listed shorebird species: the least tern (Sternula antillarum) and the piping plover (Charadrius melodus). Human landscape modification, predation, and other factors have contributed to the decline and decreased ranges of both shorebird species. The coyote is known to be an opportunistic omnivore that consumes what is most readily available in their environment, including, potentially, shorebirds. However, the extent of shorebird predation by coyotes in this ecosystem remains unknown. To understand the impact of the coyote and assess their potential threat to protected shorebirds, we analyzed coyote diet using DNA metabarcoding. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the presence and contribution of threatened shorebirds to coyote diet, and (ii) examine seasonal and sex-based variation in coyote diet. We collected coyote scats from surveys during the fall of 2022 (when no shorebirds were present on the landscape) and summer of 2023 (when shorebirds were present on landscape) and used metabarcoding to estimate diet composition. We first species-typed the scat samples to confirm species and genotyped the scats to identify sex and individuals. We used metabarcoding of a subset of samples to identify the presence of shorebirds and other vertebrates. In total, we collected 215 scat samples in the fall and 213 in the summer, identifying 57 and 55 unique individuals, respectively (21 individuals detected in both seasons). We chose samples for metabarcoding by selecting from as many distinct individuals as possible, providing at least one sample from each uniquely identified coyote. We found 27 distinct vertebrate diet items, but no DNA from piping plover or least tern in any of the samples, suggesting that these shorebirds do not constitute a meaningful component of coyote diet. However, we observed a high proportion of human food sources, such as chicken, cow, and pig in our samples (over 70% of scats containing human food in the summer and over 50% in the fall). We also detected white-tailed deer in high abundance (45% in the fall and 65% in the summer), as well as smaller mammals (over 50% in the fall and 65% in the summer). Additionally, we found two threatened species: the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis), a species of greatest conservation need, and Eastern spadefoot (Scaphiopus holbrooki), a state threatened species, present in samples from both seasons. Dietary diversity, measured as species richness and Shannon’s diversity, was higher during the summer than in the fall, and no significant differences were detected between male and female coyote diets. Our work suggests that currently, coyotes are not likely to exert predation pressure on shorebird populations of concern. Our findings also indicate that alternate threatened species could be at risk of coyote predation, and human food consumption by coyotes should be monitored to examine risks to ecosystem health and coyote wellbeing. Bio: Carolyn is originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts and moved to Vermont in August of 2022 to pursue her master’s degree in natural resources with a wildlife and forestry science emphasis at the University of Vermont. She received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science from St. Olaf college in 2021 and had the privilege of working with local environmental organizations on Cape Cod during this time, conducting research with the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown and Sea Education Association in Woods Hole. Her interests link marine and terrestrial ecosystems and my love for nature and animals is what inspired me to be in this field. Presently, she hopes to continue research in the wildlife and environmental realms, tying in GIS/geospatial analysis wherever she goes next. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, plant-based cooking, and spending time with any and all animals.
12:00	Title: Tidal restoration of East Harbor: Understanding the recovery of horseshoe crabs. Presenter: Kelly McCusker Abstract: East Harbor is a brackish water lagoon with both freshwater and tidal inputs. Starting in the mid-19th century, the connection to Cape Cod Bay was closed, converting East Harbor to the freshwater system known as Pilgrim Lake. Without the flow of seawater, a series of problems developed, including poor water quality, fish kills, algal blooms, and insect outbreaks. In 2002, the Town of Truro and the Cape Cod National Seashore partially restored the connection to Cape Cod Bay by opening an 800 ft long culvert beneath Route 6. Restoring the tides to East Harbor has improved water quality and reintroduced marine flora and fauna. In recent years, the regionally vulnerable horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) has become common in East Harbor, marking the recovery of an important predator in the food web of this ecosystem. In our study, we aim to examine the population of horseshoe crabs in East Harbor and track horseshoe crab movements to understand how they use this habitat. The results of our study will help Cape Cod National Seashore make science-based decisions on the management of this natural resource. Bio: Kelly McCusker is a Master’s student at Antioch University studying conservation biology. She is currently completing her master’s thesis on the recovery of horseshoe crab populations in Cape Cod National Seashore and is one of two 2024 Nickerson Conservation Fellows. She is interested in coastal restoration projects and wetlands ecology.
12:20	Q&A and Discussion
12:45	Closing Remarks - Geoff Sanders, Cape Cod NS – Chief of Natural Resource and Science
	Sponsored by the Friends of Cape Cod National Seashore

 

 

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  Science Symposium 2023

  A recording of the 2023 Science Symposium hosted by Cape Cod National Seashore.

  Duration:

  2 hours, 54 minutes, 42 seconds