Population Parameters of Plethodon metcalfi on a 10-Year-Old Clearcut and in Nearby Forest in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains

Abstract

During the summer of 1997, 115 Plethodon metcalfi were collected on a 10-year-old clearcut (50) and in a nearby forest (65) in the vicinity of Highlands, North Carolina. Sex, reproductive status, snout–vent length, mass, and age were used to assess the effects of clearcutting. Relative to the forest population, the clearcut population had a smaller proportion of juveniles and proportionately fewer adult males in reproductive condition. Mature female salamanders had greater snout–vent lengths (SVL) than mature males, but there was no difference in average SVL between sites. Masses of mature salamanders did not differ by sex, but salamanders on the clearcut were more massive than their counterparts in forest. Ages of mature salamanders did not differ by sex or site. These results suggest that age distributions, masses, and reproductive efforts of P. metcalfi populations on clearcuts in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains are altered by clearcutting. Future research concerning effects of forest management on salamander populations must consider the possibility that, although salamanders may be entering managed areas shortly after cutting, these populations may be atypical in several important ways.