EFFECTS OF COVER BOARD AGE, SEASON, AND HABITAT ON THE OBSERVED ABUNDANCE OF EASTERN RED-BACKED SALAMANDERS (PLETHODON CINEREUS)

Plethodontid salamanders are potentially good ecological indicator species in woodland habitats due to their abundance and sensitivity to changes in the environment. The use of terrestrial salamanders as ecological indicators depends on effective means of surveying their abundance and distribution. Our study examined the use of old and new artificial cover boards by Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus). We also considered the effects of season (spring vs. fall) and habitat type (deciduous vs. coniferous vs. mixed) on cover board use by P. cinereus. Our results indicated that P. cinereus abundance was greater under old cover boards compared to new cover boards. However, the difference between the use of old and new cover boards was greater during the spring than the fall, suggesting that the effect of cover board age became weaker over time. Plethodon cinereus showed strong seasonal variation in observed abundance, with peaks during the spring and fall seasons and very low surface activity during the summer. Plethodon cinereus had higher observed abundance in deciduous habitats than in coniferous and mixed habitats. Our results suggested that care should be taken to account for cover board age in long-term monitoring programs, especially if cover boards are replaced during a study

THE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF HABITAT AND MICROHABITAT USE IN LIZARDS:: A REVIEW

We review the ecological consequences of habitat and microhabitat use in lizards. Different habitats have different biotic and abiotic properties and thus are likely to have different consequences for the lizards that occur in them. Individual performance and life histories are influenced by habitat use, particularly when habitats differ in thermal characteristics that may influence physiological processes or constrain activity. We know relatively little about how the effects of habitat use on individual performance translate into population dynamics. We do know that the ability of lizards to use particular habitats can influence the persistence of populations in the face of habitat changes. Community-level processes (e.g., competition) and community structure (e.g., diversity) can be influenced by habitat use in lizards, often by habitat use facilitating co-existence of two or more potentially competing species. We know relatively little about how other community processes, such as predation and parasitism, are influenced by habitat use

Morphometry of Growth in Hatchling Striped Plateau Lizards (Iguanidae: \u3ci\u3eSceloporus virgatus\u3c/i\u3e)

I studied the ontogenetic development of body shape and the influence of food availability on the development of body shape in hatchling striped plateau lizards (Sceloporus virgatus) over the first seven to eight weeks of their life. Body mass showed positive growth relative to snout-vent length. Head width, head length, and femur length showed negative growth relative to snout-vent length. No sexual differences were evident in relative growth in any body part or trait. Food availability did not influence the relative growth of body parts or traits

Xenosaurus newmanorum

Number of Pages: 2Integrative BiologyGeological Science

Xenosaurus platyceps

Number of Pages: 2Integrative BiologyGeological Science