Growth model used in Guzy et al. Increased growth rates of stream salamanders following forest harvesting

Timber harvesting can influence headwater streams by altering stream productivity, with cascading effects on the food web and predators within, including stream salamanders. Although studies have examined shifts in occupancy or abundance following timber harvest, few examine sublethal effects such as changes in growth and demography. To examine the effect of upland harvesting on growth of the stream-associated Ouachita dusky salamander (Desmognathus brimleyorum), we used capture-mark-recapture over three years at three headwater streams embedded in intensely managed pine forests in west-central Arkansas. The pine stands surrounding two of the streams were harvested, with retention of a 14 and 21 m-wide forested stream buffer on each side of the stream, whereas the third stream was an unharvested control. At the two treatment sites, measurements of newly-metamorphosed salamanders were on average 4.0 and 5.7 mm larger post-harvest compared to pre-harvest. We next assessed the influence of...