Ecology of a Speleomantes ambrosii population inhabiting an artificial tunnel

Melodia, F.; Salvidio, Sebastiano; Tavano, Maria; Pastorino, Mauro Valerio; Lattes, Aldo

doi:10.1163/156853894x00533

Cited by 37 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Digital photos of the dorsal and ventral colour patterns were taken to allow individual identification (Salvidio et al 1994;Laghi et al 2005;Vignoli et al 2006). To avoid data pseudoreplication biases (Hurlbert 1984), data on recaptures were excluded from the analyses.…”

Section: General Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial niche of the Italian cave salamander,Speleomantes italicus(Dunn, 1923) (Plethodontidae, Amphibia), in a subterranean system of Central Italy

Vignoli

Caldera

Bologna

2008

Italian Journal of Zoology

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A study was carried out on the population structure and spatial niche of Speleomantes italicus (Dunn, 1923) in a subterranean system of 10 caves in Umbria (Italy). The studied populations revealed a peak of activity from April to July. The relative abundance of salamanders varied throughout the year and the observed frequencies of individuals differed significantly from expected, confirming a seasonal pattern of activity. Both external and internal temperatures positively influenced the abundance of salamanders inside the caves. This relationship may principally be indirect, and presumably salamander cave activity follows prey temporal distribution patterns, which in turn are also linked to temperature. The presence of salamanders was negatively affected by high levels of air moisture both outside and inside the cave. In summer, salamanders find refuge inside caves because the air moisture outside reaches values incompatible with the physiological requirements of the species. Adults showed a significant tendency to use areas inside the cave that were closer to the entrance when the external climate conditions come in the vicinity of those suitable for the species (increased external relative humidity and decreased external temperature), and the external influence on internal micro-climate is reduced. Comparisons to other Speleomantes species are also provided.

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Section: General Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies on the population structure and spatial distribution of the other two mainland Italian Speleomantes species have been conducted by Salvidio et al (1994), Cimmaruta et al (1999), Pastorelli et al (2001), and Forti et al (2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial niche of the Italian cave salamander,Speleomantes italicus(Dunn, 1923) (Plethodontidae, Amphibia), in a subterranean system of Central Italy

Vignoli

Caldera

Bologna

2008

Italian Journal of Zoology

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“…Underground air temperatures and relative humidity vary seasonally in synchrony with the surface climate. In this site, the biological community is composed mainly by flies, spiders and salamanders that all display a clearly seasonal pattern of activity, with a maximum in July and a minimum in February (Salvidio et al 1994). …”

Section: Study Species and Sitementioning

confidence: 98%

“…It is active aboveground during mild and wet periods and retreats underground during the coldest months of the year and during dry and hot summers (Salvidio 1993). During wintertime, females lay directly on the soil a relatively small number of eggs (usually 8-13) that are actively defended against possible predators (Salvidio et al 1994;Oneto et al 2010).…”

Section: Study Species and Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Winter, spring and summer NAO indexes were used to evaluate their influence on salamander dynamics in relation to its reproduction cycle. In fact, during winter, females lay and attend egg clutches and newborn are recruited into the population (Oneto et al 2010), while in spring and summer, salamanders feed actively on their invertebrate prey both in surface habitats (Salvidio et al 2012) and in underground environments (Salvidio et al 1994). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lagged influence of North Atlantic Oscillation on population dynamics of a Mediterranean terrestrial salamander

et al. 2015

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The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a largescale climatic pattern that strongly influences the atmospheric circulation in the northern Hemisphere and by consequence the long-term variability of marine and terrestrial ecosystem over great part of northern Europe and western Mediterranean. In the Mediterranean, the effects of the NAO on vertebrates has been studied mainly on bird populations but was rarely analysed in ectothermic animals, and in particular in amphibians. In this study, we investigated the relationships between winter, spring and summer NAO indexes and the long-term population dynamics of the plethodontid salamander Speleomantes strinatii. This terrestrial salamander was monitored inside an artificial cave in NW Italy for 24 consecutive years. The relationships between seasonal NAO indexes and the salamander dynamics were assessed by cross-correlation function (CCF) analysis, after prewhitening the time series by autoregressive moving average statistical modelling. Results of CCF analyses indicated that the salamander abundance varied in relation to the one-year ahead winter NAO (P= 0.018), while no relationships were found with spring and summer indexes. These results strengthen some previous findings that suggested a high sensitivity of temperate terrestrial amphibians to wintertime climatic conditions.

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Safe caves and dangerous forests? Predation risk may contribute to salamander colonization of subterranean habitats

Salvidio

Palumbi

Romano

et al. 2017

Sci Nat

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Recent studies suggest that many organisms actively colonize the subterranean environment to avoid climatic stress, exploit new ecological opportunities and reduce competition and predation. Terrestrial salamanders are known to colonize the more stable subterranean habitats mainly to escape external climatic extremes, while the role of predation avoidance remains untested. To better understand the importance of predation, we used clay models of the cave salamander Speleomantes strinatii to compare the predation occurring in woodland and subterranean habitats. Models were positioned in three forests and in three caves in NW Italy. One-hundred eighty-four models were retrieved from the field and 59 (32%) were attacked by predators. Models were attacked on their head more often than expected by chance and, therefore, were perceived by predators as real prey items. In the woodlands, clay models showed a four-time higher probability of being attacked in comparison to caves, suggesting a different level of potential predation risk in these surface habitats. These findings are one of the first experimental evidences that, in terrestrial ecosystems, predation avoidance may contribute to the salamander underground colonization process.

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Ecology of a Speleomantes ambrosii population inhabiting an artificial tunnel

Cited by 37 publications

References 1 publication

Spatial niche of the Italian cave salamander,Speleomantes italicus(Dunn, 1923) (Plethodontidae, Amphibia), in a subterranean system of Central Italy

Spatial niche of the Italian cave salamander,Speleomantes italicus(Dunn, 1923) (Plethodontidae, Amphibia), in a subterranean system of Central Italy

Lagged influence of North Atlantic Oscillation on population dynamics of a Mediterranean terrestrial salamander

Safe caves and dangerous forests? Predation risk may contribute to salamander colonization of subterranean habitats

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