Salamander Demography at Isolated Wetlands within Mature and Regenerating Forests

Abstract

Geographically isolated wetland and surrounding landscape features affect the ecology and life history of amphibian species. We used multistate mark recapture methods and data from over 30,000 captures of adult Ambystoma opacum to explore how survival, breeding, and movement probabilities differed among wetlands surrounded by regenerating 20-year-old clearcuts and mature 100-year-old forest stands. Survival varied among ponds and years but did not differ between regenerating and mature forest habitats. Both sexes at all ponds incurred dramatic mortality during the non-breeding season of a drought year (2001–2002). Females that skipped one or more breeding opportunities had higher breeding probabilities the following year than did successive breeders. Females exiting into regenerating forests had lower breeding probabilities at two of the three ponds. Breeding salamanders tended to make local movements from regenerating to mature forests, particularly when exiting the pond basin. Landscape movements between ponds were generally low, with few individuals moving from mature to regenerating forest habitats. We conclude that clearcuts continue to negatively impact some demographic parameters of salamanders 20 years post-cutting, but other environmental factors may mitigate these effects, and that populations are probably capable of complete recovery, particularly if some mature forest is retained.