Selective Predation by Pond-Breeding Salamanders in Ephemeral Wetlands of Ohio and Illinois.

Larval amphibians are important components of ephemeral wetland ecosystems, where they are abundant and perform important ecological functions. Larval pond-breeding salamanders (genus ) are the primary vertebrate predators in fishless, ephemeral wetland systems, where they consume large amounts of aquatic invertebrate prey. However, the mechanisms in which larval salamanders affect aquatic communities are poorly understood.

Physiological Health and Survival of Captive-Reared and Released Juvenile Blanding's Turtles.

AbstractConservation translocations are important in maintaining viable wildlife populations of vulnerable species within their indigenous ranges. To be effective, population restoration efforts (e.g.

Abundance of montane salamanders over an elevational gradient.

Climate change is expected to systematically alter the distribution and population dynamics of species around the world. The effects are expected to be particularly strong at high latitudes and elevations, and for ectothermic species with small ranges and limited movement potential, such as salamanders in the southern Appalachian Mountains. In this study, we sought to establish baseline abundance estimates for plethodontid salamanders (family: Plethodontidae) over an elevational gradient in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Predicted alteration of surface activity as a consequence of climate change.

Wildlife are faced with numerous threats to survival, none more pressing than that of climate change. Understanding how species will respond behaviorally, physiologically, and demographically to a changing climate is a cornerstone of many contemporary ecological studies, especially for organisms, such as amphibians, whose persistence is closely tied to abiotic conditions. Activity is a useful parameter for understanding the effects of climate change because activity is directly linked to fitness as it dictates foraging times, energy budgets, and mating opportunities.

Blood Biochemical Reference Intervals for Wild Ornate Box Turtles ( Terrapene ornata) during the Active Season.

Blood biochemical and hematology analyses are helpful indicators of the physiologic health of animals, particularly when making conservation and management decisions for threatened species. In this study, we 1) established blood biochemical reference intervals for two populations of threatened, free-ranging ornate box turtles ( Terrapene ornata) in northern Illinois during their active season and 2) examined the effects of individual carapace temperature ( T) on blood biochemical variables by using a Bayesian hierarchical framework. Individual blood variables differed throughout the active season (May-September 2015), but there were few distinct patterns in concentrations over time.

A global database of nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates of aquatic animals.

Animals can be important in modulating ecosystem-level nutrient cycling, although their importance varies greatly among species and ecosystems. Nutrient cycling rates of individual animals represent valuable data for testing the predictions of important frameworks such as the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) and ecological stoichiometry (ES). They also represent an important set of functional traits that may reflect both environmental and phylogenetic influences.

Detritus Quality and Locality Determines Survival and Mass, but Not Export, of Wood Frogs at Metamorphosis.

Single-site experiments have demonstrated detritus quality in wetlands can have strongly negative, neutral, and even positive influences on wildlife. However, an examination of the influence of detritus quality across several regions is lacking and can provide information on whether impacts from variation in detritus quality are consistent across species with wide ranges. To address this gap in regional studies we examined effects of emergent and allochthonous detritus of different nutrient qualities on amphibians and assessed a mechanism that may contribute to potential impacts.

Stoichiometry of a semi-aquatic plethodontid salamander: intraspecific variation due to location, size and diet.

Ecological stoichiometry provides a framework to investigate an organism's relationship to nutrient cycles. An organism's stoichiometry is thought to constrain its contribution to nutrient cycles (recycling or storage), and to limit its growth and reproduction. Factors that influence the stoichiometry of a consumer are largely unstudied, but what is known is that consumer stoichiometry is influenced by the elemental requirements of the consumer (e.

Projected loss of a salamander diversity hotspot as a consequence of projected global climate change.

Background: Significant shifts in climate are considered a threat to plants and animals with significant physiological limitations and limited dispersal abilities. The southern Appalachian Mountains are a global hotspot for plethodontid salamander diversity. Plethodontids are lungless ectotherms, so their ecology is strongly governed by temperature and precipitation.

New findings from an old pathogen: intraerythrocytic bacteria (family Anaplasmatacea) in red-backed salamanders Plethodon cinereus.

During a recent study of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus), we discovered an intraerythrocytic organism typified by violet-staining, intracellular inclusions, consistent with descriptions of Cytamoeba or Aegyptianella (bacteria). Here we characterize its taxonomic status using molecular techniques and ask basic questions about its nature. Blood smears from 102 salamanders were examined from Pennsylvania, New York, and Virginia to determine prevalence, and whole blood from several infected animals was tested using a PCR which targets the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria.