I am soliciting for some help for a Master's thesis I am running out of Trent University in Ontario, Canada.
Many of you may have read about Blue-spotted/Jefferson Salamander hybrids in various field guides over your herping careers. A wealth of genetic information about these "hybrids" have revealed they are in fact something quite different. These bizarre salamanders are all females, and steal sperm from males of other species to instigate their own reproduction. They do indeed steal [parasitize] spermatophores from Blue-spotted and Jefferson Salamander (hence why they appear as "hybrids"), but they also steal genetic material from male Tiger, Smallmouth, and Streamside Salamanders as well.
A sampler of unisexual "types". If L is laterale, J is jeffersonianum, T is texanum, Ti is tigrinum, and B is barbouri, the complements of DNA in these salamanders' cells are, clockwise from top left: LJJB, LJTi, LLJ, LJJ, LTTi, LJTTi, LTT. Yes, most unisexuals have three sets of chromosomes, rather than the norm of two.
So, this system is a fascinating mix of biological principles where these creatures are both parasites of a host, and phenotypic hybrids of that host. As a result, these animals break a lot of "traditional" biological rules.
I am looking at what limits the distribution of these all-female "unisexual" parasites. Below is an image of a suitability map for these unisexuals, which reflects their environmental tolerances and access to a species that they can steal sperm from.
One thing I am keen to test is how competition with other species of salamanders influences this overall distribution. In short, I am interested in gathering a collection of records for Slimy Salamander (Plethodon glutinosus, and group). I can pair these records with environmental data to generate what is called a species-distribution model (like the map above). Comparison of different maps can facilitate assessing if species exclude one another from different regions through competition.
That said, I don’t need hundreds of records. In fact final models usually run best when the data is relatively evenly spread out, meaning that having approximately 10 records for each state that P. glutinosus occurs in is probably all I require.
If you are keen to contribute:
1. Records should fall within my overall study area, here:
2. Latitude and Longitude points (in decimal degrees) can easily be gathered here:
http://www.satsig.net/maps/lat-long-finder.htm
3. You could generate and fill out a spreadsheet like this, below:
4. You could email me the spreadsheet at [email protected]
5. You might also include a photo of P. glutinosus which serves as a voucher for your ID abilities.
Observers whose records are used in the final analysis will be credited in the final manuscript. Lastly, locality information will not be shared outside of this project!
Sincerely,
Peter Mills
peterbmills.com
http://www.dennismurray.ca/peter-mills.html
