Members of the Adams Lab
Jennifer Deitloff
Coexistence or Co-occurrence? Determining the ecological processes responsible for Plethodon salamander communities in Ohio
The aim of my dissertation research is to understand the pattern of small scale distribution within an area of broad geographic overlap for two species of the salamander genus Plethodon, and to identify the underlying ecological processes responsible for this pattern. Plethodon cinereus and P. electromorphus represent two closely related and ecologically similar species that exhibit large geographic overlap throughout large portions of their ranges; therefore, the distributional patterns of these two species are unique for the genus. In this project, I propose to address the following two alternative hypotheses:
i. Plethodon cinereus and P. electromorphus co-exist in stable sympatric areas.
ii. Plethodon cinereus and P. electromorphus co-occur temporarily in transient sympatric areas.
To address these hypotheses, I will accomplish three main objectives:
i. I will use field-based approaches to ascertain the fine scale geographic distributions of each species throughout the overlap zone, and assess the persistence of sympatric sites through time.
ii. I will determine the importance of ecological patterns in determining distributions of each species by quantifying morphological characteristics, comparing morphological patterns to food utilization, and evaluating habitat parameters.
iii. I will assess differences in aggressive behavior exhibited by individuals of both species in sympatry and in allopatry towards conspecifics and heterospecifics.
Email: jenneyd@iastate.edu
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