• Shearin, Amanda Frances
  University of Maine Graduate School
  

Ambystoma maculatum (spotted salamander) breeds in seasonal wetlands (Vernal pools) as well as in wetlands with permanent hydropeiods. Ability to successfully recruit young in these latter breeding habitats may be particularly important in landscapes with low vernal pool density but may require alternative breeding strategies. We examine relationships among breeding habitat and landscape characteristics and A. maculatum occurrence, ovipositioning behavior, egg mass morphology, and embryo survival, and occurrences if other amphibian species during 2006-2010 in ten vernal pools and permanent waterbodies (seven fishless lakes and five stocked naturally fishless lakes) in Maine, USA, and in laboratory experiments. We also used automated audio recording devices to evaluate the effectiveness of generalized listener based audio surveys for detecting relatively rare or audibly cryptic anurans in Maine.