Soil activity affects distribution, behavior, and physiology of the salamander Plethodon cinereus

Censuses at two sites in Delaware County, New York from spring 1981 through spring 1985 indicated that the density and distribution of Plethodon cinereus were influenced by soil pH but not by soil temperature or moisture. Of 1044 l-m super(2) quadrats of forest litter searched, 284 had a pH of 3.7 o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology (Durham) 1987-01, Vol.68 (6), p.1819-1827
Main Authors: Wyman, R L, Hawksley-Lescault, D S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Plethodon cinereus
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Summary:Censuses at two sites in Delaware County, New York from spring 1981 through spring 1985 indicated that the density and distribution of Plethodon cinereus were influenced by soil pH but not by soil temperature or moisture. Of 1044 l-m super(2) quadrats of forest litter searched, 284 had a pH of 3.7 or less and only 25 of these (8.8%) contained salamanders. 0f 760 quadrats with a pH 3.8 or more, 386 (50.8%) contained salamanders. Juvenile salamanders were never found on soils with a pH less than or equal to 3.7. Seasonal salamander density was correlated (r = -0.92) with the percentage of quadrats with a pH of 3.7 and less. Salamanders apparently were excluded from 27% of forest habitat because of low soil pH.
ISSN:0012-9658