Download or read book Influence of Environmental Features on Spermatophore Placement in Spotted Salamanders ambystoma Maculatum written by Megan Kuechle and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Successful reproduction in salamanders is driven by behavioral, environmental, and temporal interactions among adults. While much of our understanding of salamander mating systems is based upon either courtship behavior of both sexes or aspects of female choice, the decisions made by males regarding where to place spermatophores is much less quantified. In this study, we mapped male spermatophore placement in the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) with respect to ecological and spatial locations within a vernal pool complex in Charles City County, Virginia. The overall goal was to use the spatial and ecological placement of spermatophores to determine if individuals deposit spermatophores randomly within the vernal pool or if males exhibited specific preferences for deposition. Using comprehensive surveys of the vernal pools and individual spermatophores within a 0.5m2 grid and terrestrial LIDAR, a total of 218 spermatophores were identified and mapped. We repeated these surveys for two successive breeding seasons. Placement occurred at an intermediate depth and an intermediate distance to the edge. Males also preferred to place spermatophores on leaf substrate as opposed to sticks or conifer needles. The physical placement of spermatophores exhibited autocorrelation in space during single reproductive events as well as across breeding seasons. These results suggest that males actively select for specific locations within a pool for spermatophore placement-a proverbial Goldilocks zone-which may be consistent with increased reproductive success. This information is key to understanding salamander mating system parameters in this species and may contribute to developing more effective management strategies.
Download or read book Predator and Environmental Effects on the Polymorphic Egg Masses of Spotted Salamanders Ambystoma Maculatum written by Simon Leslie King and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 70 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Effects of Parasites Metals and Environmental Conditions on Spotted Salamander Ambystoma Maculatum Populations Breeding in Northern Arkansas written by Heather M. DeMali and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 65 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Adaptation to Acidification in Spotted Salamanders Ambystoma Maculatum written by Nicholas Gervais and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Declines in amphibian populations have been noted since the late 1980's with many of the causes linked to habitat contamination and destruction by natural and anthropogenic sources. Amphibians with bi-phasic life histories have been thought to be particularly vulnerable to negative environmental conditions but there is much evidence of their resilience and capacity to survive in degraded or contaminated environments. Larval amphibians in small permanent or ephemeral ponds may be particularly vulnerable to altered environmental conditions and may face the greatest pressure to adapt. In Chapter 1, I briefly review the evidence of amphibian declines and how populations may adapt to and overcome assorted negative environmental factors. In Chapter 2, I investigated the phenomenon of adaptation in a particular circumstance. I collected Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) egg masses from a population breeding in a naturally acidic pond called Bat Lake, as well as four other populations living in lakes closer to pH neutral. To determine if the salamanders were adapted to their particular breeding lakes, I used common garden experiments in the lab where I raised larvae from each of the lakes in the waters from all the other lakes, as well as their own and compared the survival rates, size at metamorphosis and time to metamorphosis. Bat Lake larvae grew larger and survived longer in their acidic native breeding pond water than in the waters of other lakes suggesting they are adapted to their native pond waters. The larvae from the other lake populations showed similar results and fared better in their native waters than in the Bat Lake water. Based on these results, in Chapter 3, I tested if pH, specifically, was causal. I raised larvae from the five populations in waters of different pH (4.0, 5.5, 7.0), reasoning that if the Bat Lake population was more adapted to the high acidity compared to the other populations, the larvae from Bat Lake should demonstrate higher fitness correlates at lower pH than larvae of other populations. In this experiment, the Bat Lake larvae survived longer and grew larger in the highly acidic water than did larvae from the other populations. My results are consistent with natural selection for tolerance of low pH conditions tolerance among Bat Lake Spotted Salamander larvae and indicate that the salamanders from Bat Lake potentially exhibit signs of local adaption to the highly acidic conditions in which they live. This study was unable, however to prove whether this adaptation was due to evolutionary change, phenotypic plasticity, maternal effects or some other unknown factor. " --
Download or read book The Effects of Environmental Temperature on Locomotor Performance and Growth Patterns in Spotted Salamander Ambystoma Maculatum written by Suellen Almeida and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Terrestrial Habitat Use by Radio implanted Spotted Salamanders Ambystoma Maculatum written by Ashley Lynn Nussbaum and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 78 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Persistence of the Larval Environment on Post metamorphic Performance and Population Dynamics in Amphibians written by Julie Charbonnier and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organisms with complex life cycles may experience diverse stressors during their development. Stressors experienced in early life stages may influence the quantity and quality of individuals in later life stages. However, it is unclear if these effects persist later in life and how they may influence population dynamics. This dissertation uses two amphibian species, the Western spadefoot toad (Pelobates cultripes) and the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to explore how biotic and abiotic factors experienced in aquatic and terrestrial environments influence phenotype and survival. We use a combination of field mesoscosm studies, laboratory studies and modeling to explore how early life history stressors persist in diverse environmental contexts. In Chapter 1, pond drying and larval density negatively influence multiple aspects of phenotype in the Western spadefoot toad. In Chapter 2, reduced body size due to larval stressors persisted in the first year of life in spotted salamanders in both high and low terrestrial resource environments. Additionally, there was no relationship between size at metamorphosis and post-metamorphic terrestrial survival. In Chapter 3, low terrestrial moisture levels reduced post-metamorphic growth rates by reducing food intake in juvenile spotted salamanders from both high and low larval density treatments. In Chapter 4, we scale up the effects of reduced body size in the Western spadefoot toad to explore how reduced body size due to pond drying may influence population densities using a stage specific matrix model. Reduced body size, by delaying maturity, may reduce adult densities in the Western spadefoot toad. This dissertation suggests that life stages are highly interconnected, as stressors experienced early in life stage may persist through their effects on phenotype in the absence of compensatory mechanisms. Variation in later life stages may also influence phenotype, but may not completely erase effects of early environments. Stressors experienced early in life may also translate to population level consequences, especially when organisms experience multiple stressors across life stages.
Download or read book Investigating the Role of Environmental Contamination in Teratogenicity Rates of Spotted Salamanders Ambystoma Maculatum written by Olivia Hodgson and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Organic contaminants are anthropogenic chemicals that persist in the environment because they resist degradation through chemical and biological processes. These chemicals can inadvertently affect non-target organisms that live in contaminated soil or water, such as amphibians. If amphibians are exposed to organic chemicals during crucial early life stages, it could lead to teratogenic (i.e., developmental) effects. This study aimed to determine the relationship between contaminants (i.e., herbicides, insecticides, and other organic contaminants) and teratogenic limb malformations in adult spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) on Penn State Behrend's campus. Soil and sediment were collected from salamander breeding locations on campus and extracted using 24-hr Tenax extractions. The extracts were analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify and quantify the contaminant concentrations within the samples. It was found that four of the six salamander breeding ponds have physical deformities that exceed the 5% threshold for a healthy population, and seventy-four organic contaminants were detected in the soil and sediment at each breeding pond. Like other amphibians, spotted salamanders are an indicator species, which means that the state of the spotted salamander populations on campus reflects the ecosystem. The presence and severity of deformities in the salamander population indicates that these habitats are under stress, with environmental contamination being a likely contributor. As such, this research stands as a case study to better understand the role of organic contaminants in the health of amphibian populations living in suburban areas.
Download or read book Influence of Landscape Arrangement and Wetland Condition on Breeding Dynamics of Ambystoma Maculatum spotted Salamander in Maine USA written by Amanda Frances Shearin and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 430 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book An Ecological Study of the Spotted Salamander Ambystoma Maculatum and Jefferson Salamander A Jeffersonianum in West Virginia written by Seth J. Myers and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Genotypic Analysis of Ambystoma Maculatum Spermatozoa written by Elizabeth Jackson and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this study, we performed genotypic analysis on spermatozoa from Ambystoma maculatum (spotted salamanders). Spotted salamanders produce spermatophores, small gelatinous structures containing sperm, and deposit them on substrate in vernal ponds. Collecting spermatophores is a non-invasive method for obtaining genetic information. We successfully isolated DNA from the spermatophores and, using PCR and capillary electrophoresis, determined genotypes using alleles at several different microsatellite loci. Genotype analysis of samples from several locations in the pond revealed a large number of males in each location. We determined zygosity and allele frequencies for several loci and determined which spermatophores were deposited by the same individual. While we did collect spermatophores from the same individuals within clusters, we found that clusters of spermatophore fields were largely independent of each other. In this study, we suggest a method that could prove useful for understanding breeding habits of spotted salamanders, and thus enhance conservation efforts.
Download or read book Factors Affecting Spotted Salamander Breeding Pond Selection written by Patrick Yamnik and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Amphibian populations are experiencing rapid declines throughout the world that are apparently driven by habitat loss and fragmentation. Of particular concern is the rapid loss of wetland habitats which serve as critical breeding habitat for many amphibian species. For many species we don't really understand the habitat requirements for reproduction. Many wetlands, especially small isolated wetlands, are being lost and replace with mitigation wetlands that may not provide the same quality habitat as the natural wetlands they replace. The spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) is a key example of an amphibian species that relies on small isolated wetlands for breeding habitat. Although the spotted salamander is not endangered, it can be used as a surrogate to study habitat availability and breeding behavior. The objective of this study is to determine what characteristics of wetlands are determinants of their use by spotted salamanders for breeding. I measured eight variables for 40 ponds at the University of Mississippi Biological Field Station during 2007, including pH, canopy cover, emergent vegetation, submerged vegetation, distance to the nearest forest, hydroperiod, fish abundance, and larval mole salamander (Ambystoma talpodideum) abundance. I then correlated these variables using Spearman rank correlations and non-metric multidimensional scaling with spotted salamander egg mass density and larval survival. Emergent vegetation, hydroperiod, and larval mole salamander abundance all appeared to be positively correlated with spotted salamander egg mass deposition and larval survival. Of these factors, emergent vegetation and hydroperiod are likely to be factors affecting site selection, while the positive correlation with the mole salamander abundance is likely due to similar breeding habitat preference by two species. Because the presence of emerge vegetation appeared to be the most significant factor driving egg mass deposition, I chose to manipulate this variable in 30 ponds for the 2008 breeding season. Ten ponds were placed into each of the following treatments: increased emergement vegetation, decreased emergent vegetation, and no manipulation of emergent vegetation to determine if salamanders would switch ponds to maximize reproductive success. There was no significant difference in the change of egg mass counts between years for the treatments. The lack of change was likely due to fidelity to the breeding pond by adult salamanders. This study suggest that emergent vegetation and hydroperiod are important pond characteristics assessed by spotted salamanders but that adult salamanders may continue to see ponds after the pond characteristics are altered. Censuses of spotted salamanders using egg mass counts may not be the most sensitive measure of environmental change due to strong breeding site fidelity.
Download or read book Ambystoma Maculatum Spotted Salamander written by and published by . This book was released on with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Features Ambystoma maculatum, the spotted salamander, provided by Texas Memorial Museum of the University of Texas at Austin. Discusses the salamander's size, color, habitat, behavior, breeding, and range in Texas.
Download or read book Factors Affecting Ontogentic Diet Shifts in Larval Spotted Salamanders Ambystoma Maculatum written by April Kellie Fink and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Life History and Habits of the Spotted Salamander Ambystoma Maculatum Shaw written by Bette Louise Skow and published by . This book was released on 1957 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Effects of Acid Precipitation on Embryonic Mortality of Spotted Salamanders Ambystoma Maculatum and Jefferson Salamanders Ambystoma Jeffersonianum in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts written by Robert Peter Cook and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Effects of Forest Clear Cutting on Spotted Salamander Ambystoma Maculatum Migration written by Jessica Susannah Veysey and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
