Behaviorial ecology of the Eastern red-backed salamander : 50 years of research

The small, terrestrial eastern red-backed salamander is abundant on many forest floors of northeastern North America. Dr. Robert Jaeger and many of his graduate students spent over 50 years studying this species in New York and Virginia, using ecological techniques in forests and behavioral experiments in laboratory chambers in an attempt to understand how this species interacts with other species in the forest and the components of its intra- and intersexual social behaviors. The competitive and social behaviors of this species are unusually complex for an amphibian. This species is highly aggressive towards other similar-size species where they cohabit in forests, often leading to very little geographic overlap between the species. The authors examine the fascinating behavioral traits of this species including social monogamy, mutual mate guarding, sexual coercion, inter-species communication, and conflict resolution. Prelude -- Interspecific Competition Between P. Cinereus And P. Shenandoah -- Intraspecific Territoriality By P. Cinereus -- Foraging Tactics By P. Cinereus Within Territories -- Pheromonal Glands And Pheromonal Communication By P. Cinereus -- Interspecific Territoriality And Other Interspecific Behavioral Interactions -- Intraspecific Social Behavior Within P. Cinereus -- Predator-prey Interactions Between P. Cinereus And A Snake -- Cognitive Ecology Of P. Cinereus -- Coda : Synthesis And Social Behaviors By P. Cinereus. By Robert G. Jaeger, Birgit Gollmann, Carl D. Anthony, Caitlin R. Gabor And Nancy R. Kohn. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 209-221) And Index. Content: List of figures -- Acknowledgments -- About the authors -- 1. Prelude -- 2. Interspecific competition between P. cinereus and P. shenandoah -- 3. Intraspecific territoriality by P. cinereus -- 4. Foraging tactics by P. cinereus within territories -- 5. Pheromonal glands and pheromonal communication by P. cinereus -- 6. Interspecific territoriality and other interspecific interactions -- 7. Intraspecific social behavior within P. cinereus -- 8. Predator-prey interactions between P. cinereus and a snake -- 9. Cognitive ecology of P. cinereus -- 10. Coda: Synthesis and social behaviors by P. cinereus -- References -- Subject index. Examines over fifty years of research of the red-backed salamander.