Salamander Populations and Biomass in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire

Abstract

There were about 2950 salamanders per ha (1770 g/ha wet wt) in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire. The terrestrial species, Plethodon cinereus, accounted for about 93.5% of the total biomass while the streamside species, Desmognathus fuscus, Eurycea bislineata and Gyrinophilus porphyriticus, accounted for the remaining 6.5%. Notophthalmus viridescens was present, but was rare and insignificant in the biomass calculations. The population size of salamanders at Hubbard Brook appears to be stable. The biomass of salamanders is about twice that of birds during the bird's peak (breeding) season and is about equal to the biomass of small mammals.