Characteristics of depression wetlands important to breeding ambystomatid salamanders at Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee

Many ecological factors affect the ability of wetlands to support wildlife communities. Pond-breeding salamander presence can be a good indicator of this wetland function. The goals of this study were to identify ecological characteristics of 30 depression wetlands and the surrounding upland environment that affect the abundance of two species of pond-breeding salamanders, Ambystomia talpoideum and A. maculatum, and to create models to that would facilitate the development of land management plans. Significant ecological factors were: pine beetle damage within 1,000 m of the wetland (-), mesic hardwood (+), immature hardwood (+), and open canopy pine and hardwood forest within 200 m of the wetland (-), and maximum wetland depth (+). These results highlights the need to protect not only wetlands but the surrounding landscape as well.;The Hydrogeomorphic Classification and Assessment models have potential as a means of determining the ability of a wetland to perform certain functions. The guidebook for Depression and Flat Wetlands within the Highland Rim of Tennessee includes a model for evaluating wildlife habitat. This study attempted to test the model to determine its relationship with two species of pond-breeding salamanders, Ambystomia talpoideum and A. maculatum. The overall model scores were not significantly correlated to ambystomatid abundance at 30 wetland sites. The study, however, lacked the variability to accurately assess the model's validity. The findings of this study suggest additional research is needed to test the relationship of HGM regional guidebook models and the target functions they propose to assess.