PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Nicholas M. Caruso
AU  - Leslie J. Rissler
TI  - Life history variation along an elevational gradient in <em>Plethodon montanus</em>: implications for conservation
AID  - 10.1101/130922
DP  - 2017 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 130922
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/04/26/130922.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/04/26/130922.full
AB  - Global amphibian populations are declining and evidence suggests that future changes in climate will have a negative effect on many populations, especially salamanders within the southern Appalachians. However, for many salamander species, the relationship between demographic vital rates (i.e., survival, growth, and reproduction) and climate is unknown, which limits predictive models. We, therefore, describe the life history variation of Plethodon montanus using capture-recapture data over a period of four years, at five sites along an elevational gradient and determined how vital rates vary with body size, elevation, sex, and season. We used a hierarchical model to estimate growth rate, asymptotic size, and the variance in periodic growth, while we used a spatial Cormack-Jolly-Seber model to estimate probability of capture and survival, as well as dispersal variance. Our results show that highest elevation population had a larger asymptotic size, slower growth, but also had higher survival compared to the lower elevation populations. Moreover, we found a disparity in seasonal survival among our elevations, at higher elevations, survival was higher during the inactive season (late fall, winter, early spring) compared to the active season, whereas the lower elevations showed either no difference in seasonal survival or had lower survival during the inactive season compare to the active season. Our results provide uncertainty in vital rates for this P. montanus, which can inform population models. Furthermore, given that survival is reduced in warmer habitats compared to cooler, the effect of future warming in the southern Appalachians and the ability of salamanders to adapt to these novel climates should be a focus of future research.