Life History and Ecology of the Southern Redback Salamander, Plethodon serratus, in Missouri

Herbeck, Laura A.; Semlitsch, Raymond D.

doi:10.2307/1565354

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…We searched 1080 9-m 2 plots during 27 sampling rounds from 9 April 2010 to 26 October 2012 and captured 2309 P. serratus. Sampling was conducted from April to May (spring) and September to October (autumn), which corresponded with periods of greatest salamander surface activity (Herbeck and Semlitsch, 2000). We captured 1018 individuals in 2010 (10 rounds), 856 in 2011 (10 rounds), and 435 in 2012 (7 rounds).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Variation in Microhabitat Utilization of Terrestrial Salamanders

2014

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Variation in Microhabitat Utilization of Terrestrial Salamanders

2014

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“…Each round of sampling lasted until each plot was surveyed once (2-4 days per round). We recorded the sex (juveniles were categorized as any individual ≤31 mm snout-vent length (Herbeck and Semlitsch 2000); males when mental gland and (or) swollen nasolabial grooves were present; females when ova were visible), but some were unidentified. We measured snout-vent length (mm) and live mass (nearest 0.01 g) of each salamander captured.…”

Section: Study Site and Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance, biomass production, nutrient content, and the possible role of terrestrial salamanders in Missouri Ozark forest ecosystems

2014

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The transfer of energy and nutrients largely depends on the role of animals in the movement of biomass between trophic levels and ecosystems. Despite the historical recognition that amphibians could play an important role in the movement of biomass and nutrients, very few studies have provided reliable estimates of abundance and density of amphibians to reveal their true importance. Here, we provide robust estimates of abundance and density of a dominant species, the Southern Redback Salamander (Plethodon serratus Grobman, 1944), in the oak forest ecosystem of the Ozark Highlands in Missouri. We then use the abundance and density estimates to calculate biomass and nutrient content of salamanders at our study sites in the Ozark forests. Salamanders at the Sinkin Experimental Forest comprise a large amount of protein, energy, and nutrients that greatly exceed estimates derived some 35 years ago in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. Our estimates (7 300 -12 900 salamanders·ha −1 ) are 2-4 times greater than the values reported by Burton and Likens (1975a, Ecology, 56: 1068-10801975b , Copeia, 1975. Furthermore, we show that density estimates of other small plethodontid species reported in the literature are nearly an order of magnitude greater than that reported by Burton and Likens. We believe this indicates that previous results have underestimated the importance of salamander biomass, nutrient, and energy flux, and their functional role in regulating invertebrates and carbon retention in forest ecosystems. Résumé :Le transfert d'énergie et de nutriments dépend en bonne partie du rôle des animaux dans le mouvement de biomasse entre niveaux trophiques et entre écosystèmes. Même s'il est reconnu depuis longtemps que les amphibiens pourraient jouer un important rôle dans le mouvement de biomasse et de nutriments, très peu d'études ont fourni des estimations fiables de l'abondance et de la densité des amphibiens qui permettraient d'en révéler l'importance réelle. Nous fournissons des estimations robustes de l'abondance et de la densité d'une espèce dominante, la salamandre rayée du Sud (Plethodon serratus Grobman, 1944), dans l'écosystème de la forêt de chêne des hautes terres des monts Ozark, au Missouri. Nous utilisons ensuite les estimations d'abondance et de densité pour calculer la biomasse et le contenu en nutriments des salamandres dans les sites d'étude des forêts des Ozark. Les salamandres dans la forêt expérimentale de Sinkin renferment une grande quantité de protéines, d'énergie et de nutriments qui dépasse de beaucoup les estimations obtenues il y a quelque 35 ans dans la forêt expérimentale de Hubbard Brook, au New Hampshire. Nos estimations (7 300 -12 900 salamandres·ha −1 ) sont de 2 à 4 fois supérieures aux valeurs rapportées par Burton et Likens (1975a, Ecology, 56: 1068-10801975b , Copeia, 1975. En outre, nous montrons que les estimations de la densité d'autres espèces de petits pléthodontidés rapportées dans la littérature dépassent par presque un ordre de grandeur les estimat...

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“…Sampling was conducted from April to May (spring) and September to October (autumn), which corresponded with periods of greatest salamander surface activity (Herbeck and Semlitsch, 2000). We captured 1018 individuals in 2010 (10 rounds), 856 in 2011 (10 rounds), and 435 in 2012 (7 rounds).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each round of sampling lasted until each plot was surveyed once (2-4 d per round); the search order of plots was randomly determined. We recorded the life-history stage and snout-vent length (SVL, 61 mm) of each salamander captured (juveniles were categorized as any individual 31 mm SVL; Herbeck and Semlitsch, 2000). We also recorded the capture location of each individual (e.g., leaf litter, rock, and woody cover object [WCO] 3 cm in diameter), the total number of rocks (5 cm in size) and WCOs encountered in each plot, the soil temperature using a Raytek Mini Temp noncontact thermometer gun (a mean of 3 measurements), and leaf litter depth (60.5 cm; a mean of 3 points in each plot).…”

Section: Field Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%