Two salamander species respond differently to timber harvests in a managed New England forest.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Managing forests for timber while protecting wildlife habitat is of increasing concern. Amphibians may be particularly sensitive to forest management practices due to their unique biology; however, it is not clear how different species respond to timber harvest practices-particularly over longer time scales.

Methods

Here we report on the differential responses of two salamander species-the eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus Green) and the eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens Rafinesque)-to forest harvesting, by examining communities across a 25-year chronosequence of regenerating shelterwood harvests.

Results

Populations of both species were lowest immediately after harvest, but increased at substantially different rates. Red

SUBMITTER: Mossman A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6718153 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature