Abstract
Abstract Temporary removal sampling was used to investigate the population dynamics of the salamander Desmognathus monticola in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA. Sampling was conducted over 5 years, mainly in July, on one or two plots each year, with seven removal samples being taken in each set of samples. By using size‐frequency distributions, it was possible to separately estimate population numbers for three juvenile age‐classes and a mixed age‐class of older individuals that included adults. Repetition of the procedure in successive years provided data for both time‐specific (vertical) and cohort life tables. Fecundity values obtained by dissection and age data derived by skeletochronology provided a means for refining the life table. The results confirmed and extended earlier findings of life‐history traits of D. monticola, and showed that annual survival rates of 0.5–0.6 are required for population equilibrium. Removal sampling is considered to be a promising technique for evaluating demographics in multispecies communities of desmognathine salamanders, but requires intensive sampling of relatively large plots over several years.
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