Haley Dingfelder Abundance of the northern Redback Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) across a Deciduous/Confiderous Edge Division Sciences Department Biology Year 2004 Advisor Geoff Smith Funding Sources Not Specified

As global amphibian abundances experience a marked decline, it is important to understand what drives these declines both on the global and local scales. Changes in microhabitat including the effects of habitat fragmentation or loss can drastically alter the ecology and population structure of these organisms. In this experiment, the distribution of the Plethodontid red-back salamander Plethodon cinereus was monitored across a second-growth deciduous/mature coniferous plantation edge at the Denison University Biological Reserve in Granville, Ohio.  Of the three seasons observed, fall 2002, spring 2003, and fall 2003, only fall 2003 produced a significant interaction between mean salamander abundance and habitat location across the edge.  This may have been the result of newly added coverboards to the transects or more favorable climatic conditions for that particular season.