ArticlePeerJ2015
Seasonal variation in microhabitat of salamanders: environmental variation or shift of habitat selection?
Article in PeerJ, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed.
- Many Stayers, Few Movers: Seasonal and Sex-Based Movement Patterns in an Endangered Forest-Dwelling Salamander.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Habitat Utilization Preference by Small Mammals Is Associated With Geomorphic and Soil Properties: A Case Study of the Plateau Pika From the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Light in the Darkness: Responses to Light and Diel Activity Rhythm in an Eyeless Cave Flatworm (Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Circadian system and aging: where both times interact.Frontiers in aging · 2025Review
- Inferring onAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Size-Mediated Trophic Interactions in Two Syntopic Forest Salamanders.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Intraspecific variation in microhabitat selection in reintroduced Chinese giant salamanders.Current zoology · 2023Article
- Monitoring of the Endangered Cave SalamanderAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- The trophic niche of subterranean populations of Speleomantes italicus.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- The Trophic Niche of Two Sympatric Species of Salamanders (Plethodontidae and Salamandridae) from Italy.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- Updating salamander datasets with phenotypic and stomach content information for two mainland Speleomantes.Scientific data · 2021Article
- First molecular evidence of frogs as a food source for sand flies (Diptera: Phlebotominae) in Brazilian caves.Parasitology research · 2021Article
- The post hoc measurement as a safe and reliable method to age and size plethodontid salamanders.Ecology and evolution · 2020Article
- Do Chinese cavefish show intraspecific variability in morphological traits?Ecology and evolution · 2020Article
- Photographic database of the European cave salamanders, genus Hydromantes.Scientific data · 2020Article
- Article
- Cave morphology, microclimate and abundance of five cave predators from the Monte Albo (Sardinia, Italy).Biodiversity data journal · 2020Article
- Differences between microhabitat and broad-scale patterns of niche evolution in terrestrial salamanders.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- N-mixture models reliably estimate the abundance of small vertebrates.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- Field-recorded data on the diet of six species of European Hydromantes cave salamanders.Scientific data · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Relationships between species and their habitats are not always constant. Different processes may determine changes in species-habitat association: individuals may prefer different habitat typologies in different periods, or they may be forced to occupy a different habitat in order to follow the changing environment. The aim of our study was to assess whether cave salamanders change their habitat association pattern through the year, and to test whether such changes are determined by environmental changes or by changes in preferences. We monitored multiple caves in Central Italy through one year, and monthly measured biotic and abiotic features of microhabitat and recorded Italian cave salamanders distribution. We used mixed models and niche similarity tests to assess whether species-habitat relationships remain constant through the year. Microhabitat showed strong seasonal variation, with the highest variability in the superficial sectors. Salamanders were associated to relatively cold and humid sectors in summer, but not during winter. Such apparent shift in habitat preferences mostly occurred because the environmental gradient changed through the year, while individuals generally selected similar conditions. Nevertheless, juveniles were more tolerant to dry sectors during late winter, when food demand was highest. This suggests that tolerance for suboptimal abiotic conditions may change through time, depending on the required resources. Differences in habitat use are jointly determined by environmental variation through time, and by changes in the preferred habitat. The trade-offs between tolerance and resources requirement are major determinant of such variation.
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