PS 51-62
Effects of Hurricane Sandy on the terrestrial eastern red-backed salamander
Plethodontid salamanders are commonly used as biological health indicators due to their dependence on forest microclimates and key role in ecological food webs. Since 2010, eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) have been monitored using artificial cover boards in The Thain Family Forest, an urban old-growth forest located within The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York. Due to the forest’s urban surrounding it is highly impacted by both anthropogenic and natural disturbances. On October 29, 2012 Hurricane Sandy struck the forest and caused tremendous damage to the structure of the forest by uprooting trees and creating canopy gaps. The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of Hurricane Sandy on the distribution and abundance of P. cinereus and examine if changes were correlated to disturbances to specific habitat variables known to influence salamander distribution such as canopy cover and leaf litter.
Results/Conclusions
Based on our results we found a significant reduction in the abundance of salamanders post Hurricane Sandy (t= 2.25, P= 0.03, df= 70). This could be due to the natural disturbance, yet our results showed no significant correlation to the reduction of salamanders based on canopy cover ( t= 2.25, P= 0.03, df= 70) and leaf litter ( t=-1.307, P=0.20, df= 70). Our results suggest that the reduction of P. cinereus could be affected by other factors, such as drought and detectability after the disturbance.