INTRASPECIFIC SPACING AND INTERACTION WITHIN A POPULATION OF DESMOGNATHUS-QUADRAMACULATUS

We studied spacing and interactive behavior in a population of Desmogn athus quadramaculatus in Georgia. During 1991, 132 metamorphosed salam anders (35-109 mm SVL) were marked and released; 207 recaptures were m ade of 87 individuals. Mean home-range area was 1207 cm(2), and mean s alamander density was 1.4/m(2). Smaller salamanders (< 70 mm SVL) pred ominated in the stream, and larger ones occurred more frequently in th e stream bed between the water line and the forest. Smaller individual s spent more time wandering whereas adults remained in refugia. Prefer red refugia were rock crevices; larger salamanders also commonly used burrows at the bank/water interface and in the dirt banks of the strea m bed. Spacing of home-range centers did not differ from random; spaci ng of individual salamander locations was contagious. In interactive e xperiments performed in the field in 1994, adults ate juveniles, and j uveniles fled from adults. Individuals in refugia reacted aggressively toward intruders regardless of body size differential. Wandering sala manders of similar size were aggressive approximately 50% of the time. Desmognathus quadramaculatus defends a territory of repeatedly used r efugia, from which it excludes conspecifics through a probable combina tion of pheromonal advertisement and aggressive interference, with can nibalism being the ultimate aggressive response. Individuals outside r efugia exhibit a series of aggressive and escape behaviors with small salamanders avoiding large ones, as well as their microhabitat. The sp acing patterns observed do not fully fit predictions based on current models of spatial interactions of Desmognathus.