Investigating the effects of soil and captivity on the skin microbes of Eastern Redback salamanders

This study will provide an initial survey of the microbial community present on redback salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) from a natural population and will provide comparisons with the 3 studies of total (uncultured and cultured) amphibian skin microbial communities. We will compare the relative abundance of the culturable microbes versus total microbes in terms of relative abundance, i.e., estimating the extent of culture bias, and determine the effects of being in captivity. Soil treatments will allow us to determine the importance of housing salamanders in natural soil for maintaining skin microbial diversity.