Meeting Abstract

P3-81   -   Lead in the Red Zone: A Population Structure Analysis of Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) with an Unexpected Color Morph in Upstate NY. Shaw, BK*; Sojka, N; Mendoza-Romero, D; Heilveil, JS; Bastiaans, BJ; SUNY Oneonta; SUNY Oneonta; SUNY Oneonta; SUNY Oneonta; SUNY Oneonta shawb003@oneonta.edu

Polymorphisms, such as variations in color, within a species can be a clear visual marker of genetic variation in a population. The eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) appears in two distinct color morphs (lead-back and red-back), which are heritable and vary in frequency among populations. Previous work suggests that variation in P. cinereus color morph frequencies correlates with changes in elevation and climate, but these correlations are not consistent across this salamander’s range. We identified a population with an unusually high frequency of the lead-back color morph (~20%) in upstate New York and sampled 9 surrounding populations for their color morph frequencies. We used 12 microsatellite loci to describe the genetic structure of the sampled salamander populations and test whether morph frequencies, elevation, or climate affected population connectivity. As there is still no clear consensus regarding why P. cinereus color morphs persist or why their frequencies vary among populations, this research may shed further light on this fascinating natural phenomenon. Although P. cinereus is both abundant and ubiquitous, the results from this research are applicable to more vulnerable amphibians which may be impacted more by climate change and habitat loss.