Effects of biomass harvest on eastern red-backed salamanders

摘要: Ruhl, Patrick J. M.S., Purdue University, December 2014. The Effects of Biomass Harvest on Eastern Red-backed Salamanders. Major Professor: John B. Dunning Jr. In a typical forest harvest, the volume coarse woody debris (CWD) increases from nonmerchantable material (i.e., tree-tops, limbs, and small-diameter trees) left floor. harvesting removes much this for bioenergy production. When removed, ecosystem services associated with CWD, such as seedbed substrate, nutrient cycling, essential wildlife habitat, is reduced. Woodland salamanders have strict microhabitat soil moisture requirements that make them especially sensitive to timber harvest practices, particularly those remove primary habitat group. I monitored abundance red-backed (Plethodon cinereus) in response gradient retained CWD following biomass harvesting, first study assessing impacts wood-based plethodontids. considered key aspects salamander physiological health standard metabolic rate (SMR) body condition. Calculating SMR P. cinereus different regimes has been used proxy health. also field-tested assumptions current extrapolation techniques.