SALAMANDER BIODIVERSITY
THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS ARE THE MOST SPECIES-RICH REGION OF THE WORLD IN TERMS OF SALAMANDER DIVERSITY. BELOW IS A MEET AND GREET WITH SOME OF THE AREA'S DIVERSITY.
Plethodon metcalfi - Southern gray-cheeked salamander
This member of the Jordani complex is near and dear to my heart as my model organism. This woodland salamander exists at the lowestest elevation as any other salamander in the complex, and stretches to some of the highest peaks in the Blue-Ridge Mountains (Highton and Peabody, 2000). Their elevational distribution of approximately 200m to 1500m above sea level makes these sallies an excellent model for the study of the effect of climate using space for time substitutions. Combined with their physiological limits and ecological restrictions, I ask if populations of these salamanders will be able to keep pace with a changing climate through acclimation, adaptation, or behavior.
Plethodon teyahalee - Southern Appalachian salamander
The Southern Appalachian salamander is larger bodied, but typically less aggressive than its sympatric Plethodon relatives (e.g. P. metcalfi). In areas where they overlap with other terrestrial salamander of the Jordani complex, they can often be identified by their white/gold flecking. In fact, Plethodon teyahalee may be a result of a hybridization between member of the Jordani and Glutinosus complexes (Highton and Peabody 2000).
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