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Adult Amphibian Migration and Neonate Dispersal |
| My Ph.D. research addresses landscape use by semi-aquatic amphibians on the Savannah River Site. Assuming a primary goal of forest managers is the maintenance of biodiversity in forested landscapes, I am determining the patterns and extent of landscape use by several species of amphibians, in order to make recommendations for timber practices which allow consumptive use forests surrounding ephemeral wetlands without compromising the amphibian component of the fauna. The first chapter of my dissertation concerns the effect that coarse woody debris presence has on reptile and amphibian populations. The second and third chapters address amphibian breeding migrations and neonate dispersal in relation to forestry management practices surrounding ephemeral wetlands. The final chapter of my dissertation addressess the effect that body size has on natal dispersal for recently-metamorphosed mole salamanders, Ambystoma talpoideum. |