Environmental Effects on Southern Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera) Nest-Site Selection

Abstract

Nest-site selection is a critical process in the life history of amphibians, directly influencing offspring survival and parental fitness. When and where an amphibian chooses to nest is strongly influenced by a range of environmental cues. In this study, we evaluated nest-site selection of the Southern Two-lined salamander, Eurycea cirrigera, in relation to a range of environmental conditions. We monitored nesting E. cirrigera under coverboards at two seepage wetlands in the South Carolina inner Coastal Plain during the breeding season of E. cirrigera. We examined nest-site selection by E. cirrigera at two scales (landscape scale and microhabitat scale) using logistic regression and AIC model selection. We found that E. cirrigera select nest sites using environmental cues across multiple spatial scales where females actively discriminate among nesting locations based on measures of temperature, hydrology, and water depth. Because amphibians are so sensitive to environmental change and variation, understan...