Climbing Behavior of Flatwoods Salamanders (<i>Ambystoma bishopi/A. cingulatum</i>)

Jones, Kelly C.; Hill, Pierson; Gorman, Thomas A.; Haas, Carola A.

doi:10.1656/058.011.0317

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Pseudacris ornata likely benefit from the presence of herbaceous vegetation during the larval period (Alford 1986), and A. bishopi may benefit from herbaceous vegetation during all life stages (Gorman et al 2009a(Gorman et al , 2014Jones et al 2012). The similarity of amphibian communities between wetlands with different vegetation characteristics may also be attributed to fine scale spatial variation (multiple habitat types) within wetlands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Habitat Structure on Winter Aquatic Invertebrate and Amphibian Communities in Pine Flatwoods Wetlands

2015

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Natural disturbances play a critical role in structuring many ecosystems. In the southeastern United States, fire suppression and exclusion have removed the natural disturbance regime from many ecosystems, including ephemeral wetlands embedded within longleaf pine forests. We sampled aquatic invertebrate and amphibian communities in 21 pine flatwoods wetlands in northwest Florida from 2012 to 2014. Our objectives were to quantify amphibian and invertebrate community structure, identify differences in amphibian communities across an environmental gradient, and identify how invertebrate communities responded to wetland habitat characteristics. Amphibian communities were more diverse in wetlands with longer hydroperiods but were similar across wetlands with different vegetation structures. To examine the effects of wetland characteristics on aquatic invertebrate communities, we created a set of a priori models relating the abundance of isopods, chironomids, and damselflies to wetland characteristics. The best-approximating models indicated that isopods and damselflies were more abundant in wetlands that were not fire-suppressed. Similarly, total invertebrate abundance was higher in sections of wetlands with low canopy cover when compared to sections of the same wetlands with high canopy cover. Restoration of vegetation structure in wetlands that have experienced long-term fire suppression and wetlands that support longer hydroperiods should be a management priority.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Habitat Structure on Winter Aquatic Invertebrate and Amphibian Communities in Pine Flatwoods Wetlands

2015

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“…We knew from an ongoing study that, for several weeks leading up to these observations, dozens of recently metamorphosed reticulated flatwoods salamanders had been moving out of the breeding pond basin into areas damaged by hogs. We have also observed metamorphs sheltering under clumps of wiregrass near the surface while still in the vicinity of the breeding site (Jones et al, 2012). Threats to metamorphs sheltering in this way were indicated on 27 May 2014, when we observed the partial remains of an apparently swine-predated eastern glass lizard Ophisaurus ventralis in a freshly rooted patch of vegetation in the wiregrass-dominated ecotone of one of the few remaining breeding wetlands occupied by reticulated flatwoods salamanders (Jones et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Our assessments indicate that feral swine are damaging habitat that is critical to egg laying (Gorman et al, 2014), larval development (Gorman et al, 2009), and above-ground activity of metamorph and adult flatwoods salamanders (Jones et al, 2012). Our findings show that whether a site is currently used for breeding, known to have been used for breeding previously, or could potentially be used for breeding, if hogs are present there is a high likelihood they will damage the site.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Flatwoods salamanders lay their eggs in dense herbaceous ground cover in the ecotone (Gorman et al, 2014), and developing larvae feed and seek cover there as well (Sekerak et al, 1996; Gorman et al, 2009). Frequently metamorphs and adults are observed climbing and perching above the ground in wiregrass near breeding wetlands (Jones et al, 2012). This dense understorey herbaceous vegetation is maintained by the presence of an open pine canopy, which provides fine fuels and a short (1–3 years in uplands, 3–5 years in wetlands) fire return interval, although in much of the salamander's range fire suppression has facilitated the encroachment of midstorey shrubs that shade and change this habitat (Bishop & Haas, 2005; Gorman et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Feral swine Sus scrofa: a new threat to the remaining breeding wetlands of the Vulnerable reticulated flatwoods salamander Ambystoma bishopi

Jones¹,

Gorman²,

Rincon³

et al. 2017

Oryx

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Feral swine Sus scrofa have been implicated as a major threat to sensitive habitats and ecosystems as well as threatened wildlife. Nevertheless, direct and indirect impacts on threatened species (especially small, fossorial species) are not well documented. The decline of the U.S. federally endangered reticulated flatwoods salamander Ambystoma bishopi, categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, has been rapid and there are few remaining breeding locations for this species. The flatwoods salamander depends on complex herbaceous vegetation in all life stages, including eggs, larvae and adults. Historically sets of hog tracks have been observed only occasionally in the vicinity of monitored reticulated flatwoods salamander breeding wetlands, and damage to the wetlands had never been recorded. However, during the autumn–winter breeding season of 2013–2014 we observed a large increase in hog sign, including extensive rooting damage, in known flatwoods salamander breeding wetlands. Our objective was to assess the amount of hog sign and damage in these wetlands and to take corrective management actions to curb additional impacts. Of 28 wetlands surveyed for hog sign, presence was recorded at 68%, and damage at 54%. Of the 11 sites known to be occupied by flatwoods salamanders in 2013–2014, 64% had presence, and 55% had damage. We found that regular monitoring of disturbance in wetland habitats was a valuable tool to determine when intervention was needed and to assess the effectiveness of intervention. Habitat damage caused by feral hogs poses a potentially serious threat to the salamanders, which needs to be mitigated using methods to control and exclude hogs from this sensitive habitat.

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“…Aggregation behavior in plethodontids is scarcely recorded, beyond breeding migrations or when resources become limited (Spickler et al, 2006;Petranka, 2010). The function of climbing behavior in plethodontid sala- South American Journal of Herpetology, 17, 2020, 29-32 manders is not well understood, but it may be to avoid predators, improve foraging, or to avoid competition with other salamanders (Jones et al, 2012;McEntire, 2016;Mezebish et al, 2018). However, most of these potential hypotheses are for individual salamanders.…”

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confidence: 99%

Social Behavior in Nototriton brodiei in the Cloud Forest of Cusuco National Park, Honduras

Sasso

Cox

Gilroy

2020

South American Journal of Herpetology

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The slender and elusive Nototriton brodiei is known only from a few specimens at two separate sites in the Sierra de Merendón, in Guatemala and Honduras. We present the first record of an aggregation of three adults of N. brodiei on a single leaf in the cloud forest of Cusuco National Park, Honduras. We observed two males and one female walking together at night, using one another as support to move across vegetation. This behavior is the first record of both sexes interacting for this species, and might represent courtship strategy or similar behavior. This observation is a contribution to the sparse natural history and ecology literature for this genus. Our observation highlights the need for herpetological research on little-known and imperiled species endemic to cloud forests in Central America.

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Climbing Behavior of Flatwoods Salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi/A. cingulatum)

Cited by 8 publications

References 10 publications

The Effects of Habitat Structure on Winter Aquatic Invertebrate and Amphibian Communities in Pine Flatwoods Wetlands

The Effects of Habitat Structure on Winter Aquatic Invertebrate and Amphibian Communities in Pine Flatwoods Wetlands

Feral swine Sus scrofa: a new threat to the remaining breeding wetlands of the Vulnerable reticulated flatwoods salamander Ambystoma bishopi

Social Behavior in Nototriton brodiei in the Cloud Forest of Cusuco National Park, Honduras

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