Red-backed Salamander Ecology with SPARCnet

We manage a site for a collaborative research network focused on the ecology of the red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus. Red-backed salamanders are an abundant forest amphibian native to northeastern North America. They’re also an excellent indicator species for ecosystem health.

As part of SPARCnet, we perform a long-term mark-recapture study on red-backed salamanders at SUNY Oneonta’s College Camp. In addition, undergraduate and graduate students at SUNY Oneonta use our research plots for site-specific projects. For more information about the larger project, please visit SPARCnet’s website!

Top Left: Plethodon cinereus, the red-backed salamander, from our study site in College Camp. Photo credit: Bethany Shaw. Top Right: One of our cover board plots for mark-recapture studies, just after we set it up in summer 2017. Bottom Left: Sampling a salamander plot during early spring. Bottom Right: Students from Biology 345 (Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles) at SUNY Oneonta measure salamanders after a sampling trip.