Implementation of a Spatial-Temporal Focus to Predict Habitat Locations and Distribution of Cambarus veteranus
Abstract
Statewide surveys in 1988 and 1989 found forty-nine C. veteranus from only eight locations in the Upper Guyandotte watershed, West Virginia. A pristine stream is speculated as the ideal habitat, yet the Upper Guyandotte is known for its extensive habitat alteration due to extractive industry. Current highway construction now intrudes on C. veteranus territory. Already, thirtyeight percent of all streams in the Upper Guyandotte River drainage are classified as impaired including C. veteranus’ type locality, Indian Creek, Wyoming County, West Virginia. This impairment plays a role in the creation of habitat patches. Finding suitable habitat is advanced with the use of a geographic information system (GIS). Historical and current biological data provide the baseline validation values for suitable habitat and prediction models. The final suitability map shows optimum habitat locations for C. veteranus in the Upper Guyandotte by means of ArcMap® 8.2 thematic maps, spatial and geostatistical analysis. Final analysis reduced the potential search area, yet ground verification produced no updates for C. veteranus in 2002 or 2003.
