Abstract

Surface retreats (rocks, logs, and bark piles) provide important surface microhabitat for plethodontid salamanders; inconsistencies exist, however, among studies of retreat use by salamanders in natural habitats. I determined the relationships among 14 taxa (12 species, 2 hybrids) of plethodontid salamanders and retreat area and type as well as patterns of occurrence when multiple salamanders were found under the same retreat. Plethodontid salamanders in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park used both woody retreats (logs and bark piles) and larger retreats more often than expected. Additionally, the presence, number, area, and mass of salamanders were associated positively with retreat area; however, the variation explained by retreat area was low. Elevation was the best predictor of the relationship between salamanders and retreat area; low and mid elevations had a more positive relationship between salamanders and retreat area. When multiple salamanders were found under the same retreat, species pairings were no different from expected based on the species present at each site, and paired salamanders were more similar in size than expected. This study revealed patterns of retreat use for terrestrial plethodontid salamanders and makes suggestions for future studies to clarify the relationships between salamanders and retreats.