EDP Baixo Sabor: Herpetology – Baseline Studies [2009]

Study Extent

The data was collected in the area to be flooded by the two reservoirs of the Baixo Sabor Hydroelectric dams, and within a 5-km buffer around each reservoir. The areas in the region of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, within the municipalities of Torre de Moncorvo, Alfândega da Fé, Macedo de Cavaleiros and Mogadouro.

Sampling

Surveys involved a number of complementary methodologies, which were expected to achieve a good coverage of the various reptile and amphibian species occurring in the study area. Specifically, the following methods were used: 1. Visual observation of water bodies (e.g., temporary ponds, small reservoirs, cattle ponds, streams, and rivers), often with binoculars, to detect adult amphibians and aquatic reptiles; 2. Dip-netting in waterbodies, mainly to detect the larval stages of amphibian species; 3. Visual observations during terrestrial transects distributed across the study area, each one involving a maximum of 20-minute observations, or a maximum length of 200m; 4. Visual observations along roads, from a car driven at constant speed of 50km/h, to detect the carcasses of amphibians and reptiles, as well as live individuals crossing the road; these surveys were carried out both at night and during the day; 5. Acoustic detection of the calls of anurans, at night during the breeding season, in points scattered across the study area; 6. Opportunistic observations in points scattered across the area, outside systematic sampling periods.

Method steps

1. The original source provided localities with rectangular UTM coordinates, datum ED50. The transformation to geographic coordinates, datum WGS84, was performed using Quantum GIS. Additionally, geographic administrative regions at the municipality and district level were obtained overlaying the sampling points with CAOP 2015 (DGT 2015).
2. The original provided source contained species canonical names. The full scientific name, including name authorship, and higher taxon ranks, were obtained from the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy, using an OpenRefine script.

Nearly all amphibian and reptile observations reported in the dataset involved the identification of individuals to the species level.

1. Animalia
   rank: kingdom
2. Chordata
   rank: phylum
3. Reptilia
   rank: class
4. Amphibia
   rank: class

The data was collected within the watershed of the lower reaches of the Sabor river (NE Portugal). Specifically, field surveys were made in the area to be flooded by the two reservoirs of the Baixo Sabor Hydroelectric dams, and within a 5-km buffer around each reservoir. The areas in the region of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, within the municipalities of Torre de Moncorvo, Alfândega da Fé, Macedo de Cavaleiros and Mogadouro.