Congress (salamander gathering)
Salamander congress, is a salamander mating ritual which occurs in spring on the Big Night. It is a gathering of salamanders in vernal pools for the purpose of breeding.
Etymology
Oxford English Dictionary defines congressing as "The action of coming together... a sexual union, copulation, coition." The word comes from the Latin congressus.[1] When salamanders gather for the purpose of breeding it is referred to as a congress.[2]
Background
The mass courtship of salamanders is known a congress. The congressing event takes place each spring and this migration of salamanders to vernal pools and is known as the Big Night.[3][4] The reason it is referred to as a big night is because there is a large number of salamanders moving at the same time. Warmer air and loose soil coupled with rain cause salamanders to leave their underground burrows. The event takes place at night to minimize predation. The rain on the big night keeps the salamanders skin from becoming dry.[2] When male and female salamanders meet in the vernal pools it is called a congress.[5] When a female salamander arrives at a vernal pool she participates in a congress with other salamanders of her species. Eggs are then fertilized and left in the pool.[6] The pools dry up in the summer so fish and other predators cannot survive: this makes the pools a good place for salamanders to breed and lay eggs. Normally fish would eat salamander eggs, but in the vernal pools the eggs are safe. The hatched salamanders can also thrive.[5][3]
Salamanders are explosive spawners and the females lay thousands of eggs which they attach to sticks below the water. In addition to the loss of the hatching larvae to predators, the larger larvae engage in cannibalism. If the water begins to evaporate or there is a shortage of food, the hatchlings suffer from a crowding effect. The cannibalism ensures the survival of the species.[7] In cases where salamanders must cross roadways, some communities have built amphibian and reptile tunnels to assist the migrating animals travel below the roadway.[8][9]
References
- ^ "Congress". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ a b Lamstein, Sarah Marwil (1 March 2010). Big Night for Salamanders. New York, New Yok: Astra Publishing House. pp. 37–40. ISBN 978-1-932425-98-7. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ a b "The Biggest Night(s) of Spring". Mass Audubon. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Gearing Up For Amphibians' "Big Night"". Scenic Hudson. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ a b Daly, Christopher B. (27 February 2024). "For Salamanders, The 'Big Night' is Everything". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ McCormac, Jim (17 March 2019). "Nature: Salamanders rise in early spring to find breeding ponds". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ Benthien, Jens (28 November 2018). Tiger Salamanders: Biology, Husbandry and Breeding. Hamburg, Germany: Tredition. ISBN 978-3-7482-0533-3. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ Western Ecological Research Center (WERC). "Research Spotlight: New Study Identifies Effective Under-Road Passage Designs for California Tiger Salamanders U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ Brehme, Cheryl S.; Tracey, Jeff A.; Ewing, Brittany A. I.; Hobbs, Michael T.; Launer, Alan E.; Matsuda, Tritia A.; Cole Adelsheim, Esther M.; Fisher, Robert N. (1 November 2021). "Responses of migratory amphibians to barrier fencing inform the spacing of road underpasses: a case study with California Tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) in Stanford, CA, USA". Global Ecology and Conservation. 31: e01857. Bibcode:2021GEcoC..3101857B. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01857. ISSN 2351-9894.