ABSTRACT
We report on nesting phenology, nest success, and life history traits of Green Salamanders (Aneides aeneus) in DuPont State Recreational Forest on the Blue Ridge Escarpment in North Carolina during 2011–2022. We examined relationships between weather (i.e., maximum temperature, precipitation, relative humidity) and (1) onset of ovipositing; (2) egg hatching; and (3) nest success. We conducted 3,429 surveys of 276 nests. Nesting phenology and life history traits were comparable to those previously reported in 1949–1950 and in 1970 from the same region as our study. Initiation of oviposition and egg hatching was associated with lack of precipitation and higher temperature, respectively, during the 24-h period of the event. No relationships were found for weather and nest success during July and August during the study period. Nest success ranged 44–96%, and failure was attributed to predation and animals that compromised integrity of eggs. These results suggest that environmental conditions outside brood crevices influence initiation of ovipositing and egg hatching. Our findings also suggest that nesting phenology and fecundity of Green Salamanders have remained stable on the Blue Ridge Escarpment between 1949 and 2022. In addition, these findings do not support the assertion that seasonal drought during the brooding period is a factor in breeding failure. Further research is needed on environmental cues related to onset of oviposition and egg hatching in terrestrial-nesting plethodontids.