AN ASSEMBLAGE OF SALAMANDERS IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS - COMPETITIVE AND PREDATORY BEHAVIOR

We conducted behavioral experiments to determine how competition and p redation may affect an assemblage of salamanders that meet at and cros s forest to aquatic ecotones. At Mountain Lake Biological Station, sou thwestern Virginia, USA, adults of four abundant species interact at t he forest to stream ecotone. Plethodon cinereus and the larger P. glut inosus inhabit the forest floor up to the edges of streams while Desmo gnathus fuscus and Eurycea cirrigera forage from the edges of streams onto the forest floor, Our six laboratory experiments yielded predicti ons as to how these species affect each others' distributions and abun dances in the natural habitats. Previous studies showed that adults of P. cinereus are territorial intraspecifically and toward same-size ju veniles of P. glutinosus. In our experiment, territorial residents of P: cinereus did not act aggressively toward intruding adults of P. glu tinosus and the latter species was neither aggressive nor predatory to ward P. cinereus. The two species were equally benign in a second expe riment when the roles of resident and intruder were reversed. Thus, we predict that the adults of these two species do not influence each ot hers' distributions on the forest floor.