Dissertation Research: Population Variation in Predation Effects on the Life History and Ecology of the Salamander Desmognathus quadramaculatus.

PI将研究河流鱼类的捕食如何影响存活、反捕食行为以及蝾螈幼虫的生长。本研究将探讨捕食作为一种空间显性和可变选择因子是如何区分菱角蝾螈亚种群的。该物种与南部阿巴拉契亚溪流中的溪流鱼类共存，这项工作将提供一个独特的测试案例，以询问捕食是否影响具有复杂生命周期的动物的生活史特征。

The PI's will study how predation by stream fish will affect survivorship antipredator behavior, and larval growth of salamander larvae. The will investigate how predation as a spatially explicity and variable selective agent may be differentiating sub-populations of the salamander Desmognathus quadramaculatus. This species co-exists with stream fish in southern Appalachian streams and this work will provide a unique test case to ask if predation influences life history traits in animals with complex life cycles.