The cave-associated amphibians of Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Review and monitoring

Abstract/Summary

We surveyed all passages in Gregory's Cave, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 16 times from 1998 to 2000 as part of an amphibian inventory and monitoring program. Standardized visual encounter techniques were used. Three species of salamanders and five species of frogs were observed, but only the Long-tailed Salamander and the Northern Slimy Salamander were observed beyond the twilight zone (to 45 and 87 m from the opening, respectively). Counts varied annually and monthly, with the majority of individuals being observed in April and from late summer to autumn. Larval Long-tailed Salamanders probably rarely complete metamorphosis because of limited food supplies and desiccation of breeding pools. We visited all other limestone caves within the park in addition to surveys in Gregory's Cave. The Cave Salamander and the Southern Zigzag Salamander are found only in localized, restricted habitats, that is, in caves and in limestone sinks; both are absent from Cades Cove. We provide a summary of unpublished and new occurrence records for cave-associated amphibians within the Great Smokies. Counts by themselves probably have little value in monitoring cave populations of salamanders. However, visual encounter surveys might be useful in interpreting behavior, understanding factors affecting habitat use, and in detecting trends in cave-inhabiting amphibians when used in conjunction with species richness indices over a much larger area. Biologists and resource managers must take a regional approach in order to detect trends and to monitor the status of amphibian habitat specialists, especially cave-inhabiting salamanders.

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