Abiotic factors and effects of forest edges on red-backed salamander

Abstract

Red-backed salamanders were observed to see how they colonized the forest edges of northern forests. By quantifying the surrounding abiotic factors, we predicted favorable abiotic factors. We set up 27 artificial habitats in a cedar swamp, mature hardwood forest, and a plot that was burned in 1936 at the forest edge, middle and interior. Soil and air temperature, light intensity, humidity, soil moisture, pH and percent understory cover were measured. Observing the population of salamanders under the artificial logs and surrounding natural habitat, we obtained significant results that salamanders did not choose to populate the forest edge. All abiotic measurements were different between forests, but air temperature, humidity, and percent soil moisture were predictors of salamander densities. Low air temperature, high humidity, and moderate levels of percent soil moisture was favored by red-backed salamanders and lead to more dense populations in the mature hardwood forest. No abiotic factors had significant trends varying from the forest edge to interior. In all forests, we did find salamanders inhabited forest edges less than the interior of forests.