How do rising stream temperatures change interspecific interactions in an Appalachian stream salamander community?

     Climate change is predicted to favor smaller individuals suggesting that communities with size-dependent relationships may change in composition. The negative effects of climate change on Appalachian salamanders may be... [ view full abstract ]

     Climate change is predicted to favor smaller individuals suggesting that communities with size-dependent relationships may change in composition. The negative effects of climate change on Appalachian salamanders may be exacerbated by shifting outcomes of interspecific competition. Our objectives were to evaluate the interactive effects of increased stream temperatures and interspecific competition on growth and behavior of salamanders in stream mesocosms. Interspecies competition did not affect stream salamander growth, but salamanders housed at warmer temperatures gained less mass than those at ambient temperature. At warm temperatures, our focal species spent 20% more time cohabitating refuge with a competitor than at ambient temperature or with a conspecific. Although we did not find evidence of competition among the two guild members, shifts in behavior at warmer temperatures suggest that climate change may alter the ecology of stream salamander communities.