Competitive Exclusion of the Endangerd Shenandoah Salamander: Field and Laboratory Tests of the Hypothesis
Griffith MR. 1993. Competitive Exclusion of the Endangerd Shenandoah Salamander: Field and Laboratory Tests of the Hypothesis
The Shenandoah salamander, Plethodon shenandoah, occursonly on the north-facing talus of three mountains inShenandoah National Park, Virginia. Earlier studies indicatedthat the Shenandoah salamander was restricted to this dry,sub-optimal habitat through competition with a wide-spreadsibling species, P. cinereus. My study was designed to testthe hypothesis that interspecific territoriality is themechanism of competitive exclusion of P. shenandoah by P.cinereus. I conducted a competitive release experiment to determinewhether P. cinereus excludes P. shenandoah in the naturalenvironment through territorial defense of rocks and logs. Ialso conducted laboratory behavioral interactions in anattempt to identify the specific behavioral mechanism of thecompetitive exclusion seen in the forest.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Griffith, Martha
- Date of Issue
- 1993
- Units
- SHEN
- Keywords
- Competitive, Exclusion, Salamander, Shenandoah, thesis