Oral Presentation Society for Freshwater Science 2026 Annual Meeting

Home range size and movement of giant salamanders, Amphiuma means and Siren lacertina, in seasonally inundated, isolated wetlands (135183)

Madeline N Zickgraf 1 2 , Carla L Atkinson 1 , Alexander D Huryn 1 , Lora L Smith 2
  1. Biology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
  2. Herpetology, The Jones Center at Ichauway, Newton, GA, USA

In wetlands across the Southeastern Coastal Plain, two large aquatic salamanders, Two-toed amphiuma (Amphiuma means) and Greater siren (Siren lacertina), can be abundant. As both predators and prey, A. means and S. lacertina likely exert influence on wetland community structure and biogeochemistry; especially in isolated wetlands where their biomass dominates the upper trophic levels as fish are generally absent and apex predators such as, American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) and large wading birds, are typically transient. Despite their potential impact in wetlands, basic aspects of their ecology such as habitat use and seasonal activity remain unclear. To understand salamander movement and estimate home range sizes, we conducted a radiotelemetry study. We surgically implanted ten individuals of both species with radio-transmitters and collected locations 2-3 times per week from March through August 2025. From these locations we generated minimum convex polygons from individuals with ≥ 5 unique locations. S. lacertina exhibited the largest home range (82.4 m2) while A. means exhibited the smallest (2.1 m2). Mean home range size was 28.1 m2 for S. lacertina (n = 7) and 4.2 m2 for A. means (n = 9) though high variation in S. lacertina ranges resulted in no significant difference. However, the variances in home range size of the two species were significantly different. Distance moved varied significantly between species; mean distance moved was 4.5 m for A. means (n = 10) and 10.1 m for S. lacertina (n = 8). Movement frequency did not vary across time and was marginally significant between species. A. means had a higher predicted probability of movement than S. lacertina throughout the study period. By examining the space use and activity patterns of these two abundant aquatic mesopredators we can begin to understand their role and potential impacts within these vulnerable aquatic systems.