Effects of colour morph and season on the dehydration and rehydration rates of Plethodon cinereus

Abstract

Plethodon cinereushas a striped morph and an unstriped morph that differ in aspects of their ecology and physiology. However, little is known about the water relations of these two morphs. The striped morph is often found at higher frequencies in moist conditions than is the unstriped morph. We examined dehydration and rehydration rates of striped and unstripedP. cinereusin the fall and spring. The morphs did not differ in dehydration rate, nor did dehydration rate differ between seasons. Striped salamanders rehydrated faster than unstriped salamanders. Salamanders in fall had greater rehydration rates than in spring. Our results suggest the striped morph may be better able to recover from water loss than the unstriped morph, whereas both morphs appear equally able to resist water loss.