MSc Student
Advisor: Günter Gollmann

Unit for Theoretical Biology, Department of Evolutionary Biology
University of Vienna

Abstract

Various threats cause fire salamander populations to decline and this development is expected to proceed in the future even being intensified by the effects of climate change. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor healthy fire salamander populations, including their natural changes in body condition throughout the year as well as their behavior. During this study, a population of fire salamanders at Wilhelminenberg, located in Vienna, was monitored to assess the body condition of individuals using the scaled mass index (SMI) proposed by Peig and Green (2009) as an indicator. The seasonal change in the SMI was monitored by studying the general trend for adult females, adult males and juveniles. Out of 519 total captures 409 different individuals were identified between November 2023 and October 2024. For each individual captured the sex, body mass, body length and dorsal pattern were documented.

The highest mean SMI was found in adult female individuals, followed by the mean SMI for adult males. Juvenile fire salamanders had the lowest mean SMI.

The fluctuations of the SMI throughout the year showed a clear sex difference. The body condition of adult male individuals was highest during summer and lowest in winter. Contrary to this pattern, adult females showed a trend of having the lowest body condition during summer with their SMI converging the SMI of the adult males. From late fall until the deposition of the larvae in early spring, the body condition of adult female fire salamanders then increased.