Larval amphibians are important components of ephemeral wetland ecosystems, where they are abundant and perform important ecological functions. Larval pond-breeding salamanders (genus ) are the primary vertebrate predators in fishless, ephemeral wetland systems, where they consume large amounts of aquatic invertebrate prey. However, the mechanisms in which larval salamanders affect aquatic communities are poorly understood. We compared stomach contents of larval pond-breeding salamanders from two regions in the midwestern United States to assess their diets for evidence of prey selection. We found larval salamanders exhibited selective predation for certain taxa and functional feeding groups. Our results provide a possible mechanism in which larval pond-breeding salamanders affect aquatic invertebrate communities and shape ephemeral wetland ecosystem processes.

Northern Pine Snakes () are one of the few snakes that spend the winter in underground hibernacula that they excavate. We report the use of hibernacula by Pine Snakes from 1986 to 2012 in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. We determined whether philopatry to a specific hibernaculum varied as a function of age, sex, and location of the hibernaculum. Three hibernacula were occupied nearly continuously for 27 yr by 1 to 27 snakes each year. With known-age snakes ( = 120), captured mainly as hatchlings and 2-yr-olds, we found that 23% were always philopatric. Philopatry was related to age of last capture, sex, and capture location. Philopatry was higher for 1) females compared with males, 2) snakes at two solitary hibernacula compared with a hibernaculum complex, and 3) snakes 6 yr old or younger, compared with older snakes. Of hatchlings found hibernating, 24% used the same hibernation site the next year, and 38% were located at year 4 or later. The number of snakes that always used the same hibernation site declined with the age of last capture. Snakes that entered hibernacula as hatchlings were found more often than those that entered as 2-yr-olds. For the seven snakes that were 14 yr or older, females were found 64- 86 % of the time, whereas males were found 15 to 50% of the time. Understanding the behavior and habitat requirements of snakes during different seasons is central to life-history analysis and for conserving viable populations.

The developmental environment can have lasting effects on posthatching phenotype in oviparous animals. Innate immune response is one important component of fitness in vertebrates because it provides a generalized defense against infection. In addition, because male vertebrates are at a higher risk of infection than females, males may benefit more from increased innate immunity than females. We determined the effects of incubation temperature on the innate immune response of hatchling map turtles (Graptemys) by incubating eggs at a range of male and female producing-temperatures and assessing plasma complement activity in the resulting hatchlings. We found a significant effect of incubation environment on circulating complement in hatchling Graptemys ouachitensis, with male-producing temperatures yielding the highest innate immune response. Most important, these results demonstrate that immune response is affected by developmental environment in a species with environmental sex determination, potentially resulting in sex differences in the ability to fend off pathogens.

We grew larval at different densities but maintained equal mean growth rates among density treatments (via equal per capita food levels) to test the hypothesis that larval density can influence metamorphic timing independently of larval growth rate. Tadpoles at high density metamorphosed earlier than tadpoles at low density despite growing at similar rates. Food reductions did not accelerate metamorphosis. These results support the hypothesis that density can be a sufficient cue to initiate metamorphosis independently of growth rate.