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;