SREL Reprint #2345

Influence of hydroperiod, isolation, and heterospecifics on the distribution of aquatic salamanders (Siren and Amphiuma) among depression wetlands

Joel W. Snodgrass1,2, Jerry W. Ackerman1,2, A. Lawrence Bryan Jr.2, and Joanna Burger1

1Division of Life Sciences, and Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation (CRESP),
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08855
2Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802

Abstract: We used occurrence data gathered over a four-year period to assess relationships among hydroperiod length (amount of time a wetland holds water during a year), wetland isolation from other aquatic habitats, and the occurrence of sirens (Siren intermedia and S. lacertina) and arnphiumas (Amphiuma means) among depression wetlands of the upper Atlantic Coastal Plain. The combined occurrence of sirens and amphiumas was positively correlated with hydroperiod length and negatively correlated with distance to the nearest intermittent aquatic habitat. Occurrences of individual species were negatively correlated with either distance to the nearest intermittent aquatic habitat or elevation difference between wetlands and the nearest permanent aquatic habitat. Siren lacertina showed higher than expected allopatric distribution in relation to other species, suggesting biological interactions may further limit the distribution of sirens and amphiumas among depression wetlands.

SREL Reprint #2345

Snodgrass, J.W., J.W. Ackerman, A.L. Bryan, Jr., and J. Burger. 1999. Influence of hydroperiod, isolation, and heterospecifics on the distribution of aquatic salamanders (Siren and Amphiuma) among depression wetlands. Copeia 1:107-113.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).