Reproductive
Ecology &
Evolution
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Long-Term Natural Population Monitoring
(C) Jena Johnson
Plethodontid salamanders are key indicators of ecosystem health, such that understanding how these species are responding to climate change can provide more broadscale insights into the threats facing whole forest communities. The Moss Lab maintains coverboard plots -standardized, replicate arrays in stands of deciduous forest - at sites spanning an elevational gradient in Jefferson National Forest, VA. Our study is part of a much broader collaborative effort involving over 20 sites across the east coast – the Salamander Population and Adaptation Research Collaboration Network (SPARCnet) – a combined dataset with the potential to provide powerful insights into how climatic factors drive population dynamics across scales.
Salamanders are individually marked with visual implant elastomer (VIE), which fluoresces under UV light.
The overarching research objective of our long-term study is to gain insights into the factors driving distinct population responses to climate change through time and space. Using a common terrestrial salamander as our subject, we ask questions such as: (1) How do properties of individuals (e.g., sex, age, morph) shape variation in activity, growth, and body condition under varying climatic conditions; (2) How do climatic conditions experienced in specific seasons drive patterns observed throughout the year? (3) How does population variation in life history traits (e.g., reproductive frequency, maturation rate) shape population outcomes under varying climatic conditions?