1. Woodland salamander population structure and body condition under irregular shelterwood systems
- Author
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Marc J. Mazerolle, Gilles Joanisse, Louis Imbeau, and Mathilde Lapointe St-Pierre
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Woodland salamander ,Global and Planetary Change ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Ecology ,biology ,Population structure ,Logging ,Forestry ,biology.organism_classification ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Natural (archaeology) ,Environmental science ,Ecosystem ,Body condition ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
Ecosystem-based management aims to preserve old-growth forest attributes using techniques mimicking natural disturbances. One such technique is irregular shelterwood logging, but its impacts on forest floor organisms are poorly known. Our objective was to quantify the effects of three different treatments of irregular shelterwood on population structure and the body condition of the eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) 5–6 years following harvesting. A total of 64 sites in western Québec were sampled using artificial refugia and quadrat searches. Large salamanders (>32 mm) were more abundant in the gap treatment than in strip, uniform, or control treatments. Small salamanders (≤32 mm) followed the same pattern, although the differences were marginal. For a given treatment, small salamanders were as abundant as large salamanders. Salamander body condition differed between the 2 years of sampling but did not differ among treatments, regardless of salamander size. We conclude that environmental conditions in irregular shelterwood treatments 5–6 years following harvesting support populations of small vertebrates on the forest floor.
- Published
- 2021
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