Response of Two Terrestrial Salamander Species to Spring Burning in the Sierra Nevada, California

Download or read book Response of Two Terrestrial Salamander Species to Spring Burning in the Sierra Nevada, California written by Karen Elizabeth Bagne and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Terrestrial salamanders may be vulnerable to prescribed fire applications due to their moist, permeable skin and limited mobility. We present data collected on terrestrial salamander populations in a ponderosa pine-dominated forest in the Sierra Nevada where fire was applied in the spring. Two species, Sierra ensatina (Ensatina eschscholtzi platensis) and gregarious slender salamander (Batrachoseps gregarius), were captured under coverboards. Capture rates of ensatinas declined within the first 2 years after burning, but postfire captures were similar to or greater than capture rates on unburned plots. Capture rates of slender salamanders were more variable, but high capture rates on burned plots suggest they persist following fire. We captured fewer small ensatinas within 2 years of burning, but sizes of slender salamanders pre and post burning were similar. Salamanders were captured in both closed and open canopy forests, and presence under individual coverboards was associated with deeper litter and greater canopy closure. Coverboards may be avoided for a year or more by gregarious slender salamanders, and capture rates were highest during winter and early spring. Though sample sizes were small and conclusions should be made with caution, results indicated no strong adverse effects from spring burning. Suitable habitat may have been maintained by the patchy burn pattern characteristic of spring burns.