“…The stochastic nature of recruitment in many ephemeral pond breeding amphibians is thought to be a rate‐limiting step (Alford & Richards, 1999; Boone & Bridges, 2003; Kiesecker et al, 2001; Pechmann & Wilbur, 1994; Schmidt et al, 2002; Schmidt et al, 2005; Semlitsch, 2003; Wilbur, 1980; Wilbur & Collins, 1973). Post‐metamorphic amphibians are generally considered to experience high predation and desiccation risk (Burrow et al, 2021; Messerman et al, 2020; Messerman & Leal, 2020, 2022; Roznik & Johnson, 2009), but data describing this portion of the life cycle are lacking in flatwoods salamanders. It is likely that some of this early post‐metamorphic mortality was captured in our egg survival parameter as some estimates of survival to metamorphosis exceed 5%, however this deserves further investigation (Petranka, 1989; Shoop, 1974).…”