Hernández-Pacheco Raisa, Sutherland Chris, Thompson Lily M, Grayson Kristine L
Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA.
Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
R Soc Open Sci. 2019 Jun 12;6(6):182192. doi: 10.1098/rsos.182192. eCollection 2019 Jun.
Under the current amphibian biodiversity crisis, common species provide an opportunity to measure population dynamics across a wide range of environmental conditions while examining the processes that determine abundance and structure geographical ranges. Studying species at their range limits also provides a window for understanding the dynamics expected in future environments under increasing climate change and human modification. We quantified patterns of seasonal activity, density and space use in the eastern red-backed salamander () near its southern range edge and compare the spatial ecology of this population to previous findings from the core of their range. This southern population shows the expected phenology of surface activity based on temperature limitations in warmer climates, yet maintains unexpectedly high densities and large home ranges during the active season. Our study suggests that ecological factors known to strongly affect amphibian populations (e.g. warm temperature and forest fragmentation) do not necessarily constrain this southern population. Our study highlights the utility of studying a common amphibian as a model system for investigating population processes in environments under strong selective pressure.
在当前两栖动物生物多样性危机背景下，常见物种提供了一个机会，可用于衡量广泛环境条件下的种群动态，同时研究决定物种丰富度和地理分布范围结构的过程。在物种分布范围边界进行研究，也为理解在气候变化加剧和人类活动影响下未来环境中预期的动态变化提供了一个窗口。我们量化了东部红背蝾螈在其南部分布范围边缘附近的季节性活动、密度和空间利用模式，并将该种群的空间生态学与此前在其分布范围核心区域的研究结果进行比较。这个南部种群基于温暖气候下的温度限制呈现出预期的地表活动物候，但在活跃季节仍保持着出乎意料的高密度和大的活动范围。我们的研究表明，已知对两栖动物种群有强烈影响的生态因素（如温暖温度和森林破碎化）并不一定会限制这个南部种群。我们的研究突出了将一种常见两栖动物作为模型系统来研究处于强大选择压力环境下种群过程的实用性。
