Monitoring Plethodon cinereus

Patty McGinnis

Arcola Intermediate School

Identification

• Completely terrestrial• Abundant• 5.7-12.7 cm• Redback phase is gray or

black body with a red stripe down its back

• Leadback phase lacks the red stripe

• Belly is mottled white and gray• 16 to 19 costal grooves• 5 toes on hind feet, 4 on front• Male and female identical in

appearance

Range

• Eastern North America

• Range extends west to Missouri, south to North Carolina and north from southern Quebec and the Maritime Provinces in Canada to Minnesota

Habitat

• Mixed Deciduous Forests• Completely terrestrial• Absorbs moisture through skin• Prefers humid, shady areas• Found underneath leaf litter,

under rocks, logs, and in burrows

• Negatively affected by high levels of acidity in soil

• Decreased moisture limits range to under rocks or burrows

• Over winter by burying below frost line

Food

• Consume mites, spiders, insects, centipedes, millipedes, beetles, snails, ants, earthworms, flies, and insect larvae

• Capture prey with out-thrust tongue• Forage during and after rains• Can store fat to survive during dry

conditions

Prey

• Prey to snakes, birds, mammals

• Will drop all or part of their tail if attacked (regrown tail is lighter in color)

Niche

• Play an important role in ecosystem by providing food for others and by eating large numbers of invertebrates

• P. cinereus biomass is larger than mammals and birds combined

Lifespan

• No research on

P. cinereus• P. jordani can

live up to 32 years with an average of 9.8 years

(Hairston, 1983)

Reproduction

• Mate in fall• Male deposits spermatophore• Female picks up

spermatophore with cloaca• 3 to 14 eggs are laid in spring

in cracks or crevices; female guards eggs until they hatch

• Slime secreted by female keeps eggs moist

• No aquatic larval stage• Eggs develop directly into

young salamanders• 2 years to maturity

Behavior

• Are solitary • Exhibit territoriality to protect

food supply• Capable of threatening

displays• Scent marks and fecal pellets

are left by both sexes• Cues tell territory, size and

sex, identify of resident• Salamanders recognize

relatives through smell• Juvenile kin are sometimes

allowed to feed in an adult’s territory

Conservation Status

• Abundant, not threatened

• Serve as bioindicators• Impacted by clear

cutting, fungal diseases, acid rain

• Do best in closed canopy forests

Cover Boards

• Provide artificial cover through arrays of cover boards

• Plywood or particle board, 2’ x 2’ in size

• Boards should not be dry or new

• Place along transects• Number the boards with spray

paint• Place flagging on nearby tree

or use GPS to mark location

Monitoring Plots• 1 m X 1 m plots • Cover boards are at least 5 m

apart• Salamanders are captured and

measured. Some studies mark them using Visible Implant Elastomers (VIE)

• Search cover boards every 2-3 weeks from April through October/early November

• Other data can include vegetation identification, litter levels, decomposition, soil temperature and moisture

• Leaf litter sample to identify invertebrates (Berlese funnel)

Checking Boards

• Use a stick to turn board towards you

• Always be aware of snakes

• Release salamander next to board

Collecting Data on Salamanders

• Snout to Tail Length, Weight, Species Identification

• Mass is taken with a spring scale

• Salamanders are placed in baggies

• Can be kept in refrigerator for several days if necessary

Handling Salamanders

• Handle as little as possible

• Make sure hands are free of soaps and lotions

• Can wet hands with spring water or dampen hands with soil

Salamanders and Students

• P. cinereus makes a good test subject

• Numerous• Easily found and

handled• Inquiry experiments

can be developed using cover boards in different locations

References• http://www.ccari.org/crccbp/literature.htm• dnr.wi.gov/.../eek/critter/amphibian/index.htm • http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/

Plethodon_cinereus.• htmlhttp://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Plethodon_cinereus/• http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1656/045.016.0101• http://www.invasiveplants.net/impsal.htm• http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Plethodon/P_cinereus.shtml