Project
Project Title: Distribution, Occupancy, site Selection for breeding and Life History of Troglophile species in Hypogean versus Epigean habitats
Funded amount: 110,000 €
Case study: Salamandra, Salamandra salamandra (Linnaeus, 1758)
Principal Investigator: Raluca Ioana Băncilă
Postdoc Investigator: Rodica Plăiaşu
Student Investigators: Ioana Nae and Diana Székely (PhDs)
Duration: October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2017
Funding Source(s): Executive Unit for Financing Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation (UEFISCDI)
Objectives:
- To document and assess the breadth of the distribution of S. salamandra in caves and surface habitats;
- To estimate the occupancy and breeding probability and their response to cave features and surface habitat characteristics for S. salamandra;
- To evaluate the cave induced changes on life history traits and fitness consequences of S. salamandra;
- To assess whether the S. salamandra life history traits variation is a plastic or adaptive response to cave environment;