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Relationship of Forest Characteristics to Salamander Abundance in the central Adirondacks Jose D. Lopez 1 and Stacy A. McNulty 2 1 Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210 2 Adirondack Ecological Center, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Newcomb, NY Introduction and Objective • Salamanders’ thin, moist skin, used for cutaneous respiration, leaves them susceptible to microclimatic, chemical, and physical conditions. Globally, salamanders are declining due to a variety of factors. • We investigated the relationship of forest type, land use history, soil and air characteristics to distribution of four salamander species (abbreviated as PLCI, DESP, NOVI, and EUBI, pictured below). Methods • We surveyed salamander populations twice during summer 2006 at 32 artificial cover object sites at HWF. • For each salamander, we identified the species and measured snout to vent length to determine age class • At each site, we measured soil temperature, air temperature and humidity. We took soil samples to assess soil pH and soil moisture in the lab. • We used data from an long-term salamander cover object study at the 32 sites for comparison. Results • Abundance was highest in deciduous forest (Fig.1). • Each species had a different site association based on forest management (Fig. 2) and forest history (Fig. 3). • Most salamanders were found at soil pH between 3.5-5.0 (Fig. 4), 16-18°C soil temperature (Fig. 5) and 50-80% soil moisture. Study Area • Huntington Wildlife Forest (HWF) is a 6,000 ha research forest located in the center of Adirondack Park, NY. • HWF consists of deciduous (HW), coniferous (SW), and mixed (HW) stands including managed and unmanaged old growth forest. Managed areas include stands with logging and logging/fire histories. Conclusions • Salamander distribution is associated with forest type and history. Redbacks and red efts were more abundant in managed sites while duskys and two-lined salamanders were associated with streams and seeps in old-growth. • Soil pH and soil temperature also had a significant relationship to salamander distribution. • Anthropogenic changes to forests can affect salamander distribution, which may cause declines in populations. • Impacts of physical and chemical forest characteristics on the salamanders remain important to investigate. Acknowledgements Many thanks to the following individuals: Dr. Robin Kimmerer, Dr. Kim Schulz, Dr. Mark Teece, Shana Gross. Sharon Curtis, and everyone at the AEC. This project was funded by the ESF Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology (UMEB) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Plethodon cinereus Desmognathus sp. Notophthalmus viridescens Eurycea bislineata Artificial cover object bricks. Jose collecting soil samples and taking soil moisture and temperature readings. 0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 0.90 1.00 PLCI DESP NOVI EUBI Species Percentage HW MW SW 0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 0.90 PLCI DESP NOVI EUBI Species Percentage Unmanaged Managed 0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 0.90 PLCI DESP NOVI EUBI Species Percentage Unmanaged Cut Fire/Cut Fig. 1. Percentage of each salamander species by forest type. Fig. 2. Percentage of salamanders in managed vs. unmanaged stands. Fig. 3. Percentage of salamanders by forest history. 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 3.0 - 3.49 3.5 - 3.99 4.0 - 4.49 4.5 - 4.99 5.0 - 5.49 5.5 - 5.99 6.0 - 6.49 pH class Percentage 0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 10 - 11.9 12 - 13.9 14 - 15.9 16 - 17.9 18 - 19.9 20 - 21.9 soil temperature class Percentage Fig. 4. Percentage of salamanders per pH class. Fig. 5. Percentage of salamanders per soil moisture class. 2 4 3
