FENOLIO, Dant� B.; University of Miami: Population ecology and behavior of the Ozark blind cave salamander, Typhlotriton spelaeus

The nutrient dynamics, food web functions, and community compositions of subterranean ecosystems remain poorly understood. Equally unclear are intra- and interspecific interactions, distributions, densities, and movement patterns of subterranean animals. More specifically, difficulty in deciphering the complexities of Ozark subterranean communities is in part a result of limited human access; one study estimated that surface-opening caves represent a small percentage (~10%) of the total number of subterranean systems in the region. I conducted a two-year study of the ecology of the Ozark blind cave salamander, Typhlotriton spelaeus, a species of concern in two of the four states where it occurs owing to its limited and vulnerable subterranean habitat. The study population is at both the western edge of the Ozarks and the western edge of the species range in northeastern Oklahoma. Once per month, I visited the study site, marked captured individuals with acrylic elastomer, and collected morphometric and position data. From these data, I estimated an adult population size of ~400 and a larval population of size of ~100 using MARK � software. Encounter rates with both adult and larval individuals increased during the summer and early fall when colonial bats seasonally use the cave. These data suggest a correlation of movement and convergence into the main cavern of the system by salamanders and seasonal inhabitance of that cavern by colonial bats. A stable isotope analysis of the entire aquatic ecosystem was conducted to test hypothesized links between the presence of roosting bats and an increase in food availability for these salamanders.