Figure 3: Elevation (A), pH (B), and dominant tree species along a single elevational transect on UnakaMountain. On the elevation plot, “hotter” heat map coloration corresponds with higher elevation, and on the pH plot “hotter” coloration corresponds with lower pH. Tree species are indicated across both. Blue dots indicate presence of P. welleri, empty circles indicate absence.

INTRODUCTION● Southern Appalachian ecoregion supports the world’s highest diversity of

salamanders, well known indicators of environmental change.8

● Second most endangered ecoregion in the United States.7

● Climate change pushes habitats towards higher elevations, and cloud-immersion

on mountaintops is predicted to decline and negatively impact the remaining

spruce-fir habitat.1

● Both spruce-fir forests and high-elevation salamander species Plethodon welleri

are confined to “sky island” populations on mountaintops surrounded by

uninhabitable lower elevation terrain

● Range of P. welleri is likely associated with spruce-fir forest habitat.6

● Terrestrial plethodontid salamanders like P. welleri rely heavily on the

microhabitats in which they live to provide protection from both environmental

threats and predation.3

○ Microhabitats may be threatened by climate change and pollution, which may

result in soil acidification.9

Goals

Characterize:

● Range of P. welleri in Western North Carolina

● Predictive microhabitat characteristics of P. welleri

● Genetic isolation between P. welleri populations

Predictions

● P. welleri distribution correlates with spruce-fir forest habitat and

neutral soil pH

● Search for previously undocumented populations in WNC

● Genetically distinct mountaintop populations

METHODS

Microhabitat Sampling (Fig. 2)

● Established 25 10x10 m plots along a transect on Unaka Mountain on the North

Carolina--Tennessee border between May and August of 2016

○ Within plots we searched beneath every cover object of reasonable size for a

salamander and noted presence or absence of P. welleri

○ We recorded microhabitat characteristics of each cover object and plot:

■ Elevation Soil pH Dominant Tree Species

● We mapped data using R Studio in order to visually assess distribution of P. welleri

and microhabitat variables

Phylogeography

● Sampled 70 individuals of P. welleri from the three populations in the Southern

Appalachians (Fig. 2)

● Amplified the entire coding region of the mitochondrial ND2 locus using the forward

primer (5’-ATTCCCTTCACTCGCCCAAGC-3’) and the reverse primer (5’-

AAAGTGTTTGAGTTGCATTCA-3’)

● Sequenced the amplified fragments at NCSU, and cleaned, aligned, and analyzed the

samples using GeneiousTM

RESULTS

Microhabitat (Fig. 3)

● Several transitions between dominant tree species on elevation gradient up Unaka

Mountain

● Apparent general transition from fairly neutral to more acidic soil

● P. welleri individuals present throughout the entire transect, with a higher

concentration of individuals at higher elevations in areas of Spruce and Birch

forest

Phylogeography (Fig. 4)

● Confirmed 3 unique lineages of P. welleri in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia

● 3 distinct populations of P. welleri, closer evolutionary relationship between NC

populations

Range, Microhabitat, and Genetics of Weller’s Salamander, Plethodon welleri

Figure 4: Neighbor-Joining tree for mtDNA data from P. welleri tissue samples. Three distinct populations from Grayson Highlands (VA), Unaka Mountain, and Grandfather Mountain were confirmed.

Meet the Salamanders: Plethodon welleriPlethodon welleri, a State-listed species of terrestrial plethodontid

salamander, is known to have a limited range and distribution on isolated

mountaintops in Western North Carolina. These population “islands” are

separated by lower elevations that appear to be inhospitable to P. welleri, but

likely were once part of their range during cooler historical climates. Research

on this species might yield valuable data on past climate and ecology of high

elevation habitats in the region, as well as provide a basis for future

projections of range shifts given various climate models.

LITERATURE CITED

1. Berry, Z.C. and W.K. Smith. 2013. Ecophysiological importance of cloud immersion in a relic spruce-fir forest at elevational limits, southern Appalachian Mountains,

USA. Oecologia 173: 637-648.

2. Burns DA, Aherne J, Gay DA, Lehmann CM. 2016. Acid rain and its environmental effects: Recent scientific advances. Atmospheric Environment 146:1–4.

3. Caruso NM. 2016. Surface retreats used among four genera of terrestrial salamanders in the Great Smoky Mountains National park. J Herpetol. 50(1):87-93

4. Galloway, James N. 1989. Atmospheric Acidification: Projections for the Future. Ambio. 18(3):161-166.

5. Lawler JJ, Shafer SL, White D, Kareiva P, Maurer EP, et al. (2009) Projected climate-induced faunal change in the Western Hemisphere. Ecology 90:588–597

6. Niemiller, M.L. and R.G. Reynolds. 2011. The Amphibians of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, TN.

7. Noss, R.F., and R.L. Peters. 1995. Endangered ecosystems: a status report on America’s vanishing habitat and wildlife. Defenders of Wildlife.

8. Petranka, J.M. 1998. Salamanders of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC 576 p

9. Zhu Q, Vries WD, Liu X, Zeng M, Hao T, Du E, Zhang F, Shen J. 2016. The contribution of atmospheric deposition and forest harvesting to forest soil acidification in

China since 1980. Atmospheric Environment. 146:215–222.

Shannon Bodeau and Robert Chambliss Department of Biology University of North Carolina Asheville

Advisor: Dr. R. Graham Reynolds

FUTURE RESEARCH● Add additional microhabitat variables to gain a better understanding of P. welleri’s

relationship with elevation and forest type.● Fine-scale soil pH data to better assess pH gradients and help us understand P.

welleri persistence when facing acidification due to Earth’s changing atmosphere.2

● Use mtDNA sequences to explicitly test for gene flow and estimate divergence times

© Niemiller and Reynolds. 2011. The Amphibians of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press

UnakaMountain

Grandfather

Mountain

Area sampled for microhabitat data

Figure 2: Survey sites for P. welleri June-October 2016. Sites where P. welleri were found are blue and the location labelled. Area where microhabitat data was collected is also indicated.

Virginia

DISCUSSION

● P. welleri found in Spruce habitat as well as throughout several different forest

types and elevations (Fig. 3).

○ Greater concentration in Red Spruce habitat

● pH gradient on Unaka Mountain indicates a positive trend of elevation with

acidification (Fig. 3)

● Did not find any novel populations of P. welleri

○ Potentially higher risk of species extirpation and extinction

● Geographically isolated populations of P. welleri are genetically distinct

○ Indicates historical geographic isolation (allopatry)

A

B

Weller’s PresentWeller’s Absent

Figure 1: The transition between forest types in a potential P. welleri habitat.

Transition from Red Spruce to Deciduous forest