Scientists knew that red-backed salamanders were abundant in eastern North America, but a recent study found their densities and biomass across the region were much higher than expected.
Scientists knew that red-backed salamanders were abundant in eastern North America, but a recent study found their densities and biomass across the region were much higher than expected. The study authors estimated an average of 5,300 salamanders in every patch of forest the size of a football field in the Northeast. Even though each individual is a mere 3 inches long, the sheer number of red-backed salamanders means that they also have some of the highest biomass estimated for animals other than insects in the Northeast, similar to or greater than white-tailed deer.
The study, “Range-wide Salamander Densities Reveal a Key Component of Terrestrial Vertebrate Biomass in Eastern North American Forests,” conducted by U.S. Geological Survey and many partner institutions, was the first time that the densities and biomass for this common, but rarely seen, species were calculated across the extent of its range.
The incredible magnitude of red-backed salamander presence in the Northeast captured in this study suggests that red-backed salamanders, and likely amphibians in general, play a more prevalent role in terrestrial temperate ecosystems than previously suspected.
Read More: USGS
Photo Credit: via Pixabay
