Brooks Mathewson, Betsy Colburn, David Foster

Harvard Forest, Harvard University Extension School

Primary Interests:

Stream dynamics, salamander interactions with environment, wildlife association with eastern hemlocks

HWA Objective:

I have been studying the relative abundance of two species of terrestrial salamanders in eastern hemlock stands, eastern red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens) and eastern redback salamander (Plethodon cinereus.) The baseline data I obtained during the late summer and fall of 2003 will hopefully be used in an ongoing assessment of how salamander populations are impacted by the loss of eastern hemlock due to HWA. Both species that I studied had a relative abundance in eastern hemlock stands that was equal to or greater than the species' relative abundance in hardwood stands. Eastern red-spotted newt's relative abundance in eastern hemlock stands was roughly four times as great as in hardwood stands. The relative abundance of eastern redbacked salamander was roughly equal in eastern hemlock stands and hardwood stands.