Пятнистая саламандра: описание и особенности вида.

Species of amphibian
Speciesbox
| name = Spotted salamander
| image = Spotted Salamander, Cantley, Quebec. jpg
| status = LC
| status system = IUCN3.1
| status ref =
| genus = Ambystoma
| species = maculatum
| authority = (Shaw, 1802)
| range map = Ambystoma maculatum map. svg
| range map caption = Range of A. maculatum
| synonyms =
| synonyms ref = Its embryos have been found to have symbiotic algae living in and around them, the only known example of vertebrate cells hosting an endosymbiont microbe (unless mitochondria are considered).

The spotted salamander is about long, with females generally being larger than males. The spotted salamander's spots near the top of its head are more orange, while the spots on the rest of its body are more yellow. The underside of the spotted salamander is slate gray and pink. Sexual dimorphism, physical differences between males and females, is displayed in the form of larger bodied females having brighter coloured spots. Males will have a larger portion of their dorsal surface covered in spots that are less bright. There is also a correlation between body condition and spots having lower chroma. They developed larger tail fins and bodies to compete with other predators. Vernal pools are suitable breeding sites for these amphibians as they dry often enough to exclude fish that eat the salamander eggs and larvae, while retaining water long enough to allow amphibian larvae to complete development and metamorphose into terrestrial adults. A study showed larger pools (as opposed to smaller pools) had more egg masses, higher occupancy, and higher larval survival rates for spotted salamanders. Outside of the breeding season, these salamanders spend their time in forests with well drained soils that contain many burrows dug by small mammals. They have also been known to be absent from landscapes and forest with canopy cover below 30%. Salamander populations from nearby pools form genetically distinct metapopulations. Subpopulations within 4.8 kilometers share a higher proportion of genes, while populations greater than 4.8 kilometers share a smaller proportion of genes. Inter population dispersal is likely mediated by both species specific behaviors and natural limitations.

Spotted salamanders are fossorial, meaning they spend most of their time underground. They rarely come above ground, except after a rain or for foraging and breeding. During the winter, they brumate underground, and are not seen again until breeding season in early March–May. As juveniles, they spend most of their time under the leaf litter near the bottom of the pools where their eggs were laid. The larvae tend to occupy refuges in vegetation, and lower their activity in the presence of predators. Ambystoma maculatum tend to follow the same path in their migration to and from their burrows and breeding pools. They accomplish their journey in conditions that lack visual cues, since it is usually during periods of cloud cover. Some studies show evidence of landmark learning in spotted salamanders. Researchers found that spotted salamanders can associate visual landmarks with food. Thus spotted salamanders may learn landmarks in their habitat that are reliable indicators of resource locations or provide orientation clues for migration to and from breeding ponds. Male salamanders come out earlier than females due to different responses in temperature than females. The spotted salamander larvae have been known to cannibalize others when food is scarce. They sometimes also feed on smaller salamanders, such as the red backed salamander. The adult spotted salamander uses its sticky tongue to catch food. In just one night, hundreds to thousands of salamanders may make the trip to their ponds for mating. Males will start a dance like behavior called a liebsspiel, where afterward they lay down their spermatophore. This dance includes the salamanders circling around one another and putting their head's on one another's tail. Then, the male will swim away wiggling his tail. If the female wants to mate she will follow him to a sperm pack he made earlier. ("Spotted Salamander Ambystoma Maculatum") Males will migrate at higher rates than females early in the migration season. This could be due to different responses to temperature between males and females. This polymorphism is thought to confer advantages in vernal pools with varying dissolved nutrient levels, while also reducing mortality from feeding by wood frog larvae. Adults only stay in the water for a few days, then the eggs hatch in one to two months. When the eggs hatch depends on the water temperatures. Eggs of A. maculatum can have a symbiotic relationship with the green alga Oophila amblystomatis. A dense gelatinous matrix surrounds the eggs and prevents the eggs from drying out, but it inhibits oxygen diffusion (required for embryo development). The Oophila alga provides increased oxygen and supplemental nutrition from fixed carbon products via photosynthesis and removes the embryo's nitrogenous waste (ammonia) in the egg capsule, aiding in the salamander's embryonic development and growth. The developing salamander thus metabolizes the oxygen, producing carbon dioxide (which then the alga consumes). Photosynthetic algae are present within the egg capsule of the developing salamander embryo, enhancing growth. However, the widely used herbicide, atrazine, has been found to significantly lower hatching success rate by eliminating the symbiotic algae associated with the egg masses. As larvae, they are usually light brown or greenish yellow. They have small dark spots and are born with external gills. In two to four months, the larvae lose their gills, and become juvenile salamanders that leave the water. Spotted salamanders have been known to live up to 32 years, and normally return to the same vernal pool every year. These pools are seasonal and will usually dry up during the late spring and stay dry until winter. Spotted salamanders are often preyed on by raccoons, skunks, turtles, and snakes. For this reason they perform an important function by connecting the food chain. sought out through the pet trade.