Abstract

Sandy Bottom Preserve is a 35-acre forest in Western North Carolina along the French Broad River that provides a glance into the ecosystem of vernal pools and the biodiversity that inhabits them. Among the many species that call it home are the Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens), Marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum), and the Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum). They breed in the vernal pools, providing a home and shelter for egg nests and juvenile salamanders, away from the threat of most predators. Vernal pools continuously drain and refill, making them unstable for fish, and crayfish which eat the salamanders and their larva. Previous research looked at these salamanders across the Southeastern United States, providing a background for the seasonal breeding variation among species and potential disturbances. This study aims to look at the correlation between rain levels, measured by gauge, and the arrival of salamander species, sampled in dip nets, breeding in the vernal pools. We hypothesized that the breeding seasons might vary due to the recent rainfall disruptions and timing in which the pools began to fill with many periods of unpredictable drought and flooding in between. After analysing the data we can see how it compared to previous research and how this might correlate with changes in the vernal pools' hydrologic patterns. The results concluded that the species-rain correlation, specifically among Eastern Newts, was potentially significant based on 0.08 p-value, but could not be concluded as significant until more research was conducted. More research would also be needed to further identify other salamander species patterns with rainfall, as this study did not capture enough individuals to be quantifiable.

Keywords

Salamanders, Rainfall, Vernal Pools

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