COLUMBIA, Mo. University of Missouri scientist Ray Semlitsch
studies creatures most people dont ever see. These creatures are
active only at night and thrive in the shallow, cool, wet
surroundings of headwater streams, an oft-overlooked biological
environment. A collaborative study, with MU graduate student
Bill Peterman, recently published in the journal Freshwater
Biology, revealed the biomass (total mass of an organism in an
area) of the black-bellied salamander far exceeds any previous
estimates, and the contribution of the species and its habitat
may be critical in the food chain. While the ecological role of
the salamander is not fully understood, radio-telemetry and
mark-recapture tracking methods used in the study indicate the
salamanders are a critical component in the productivity of
headwater streams, possibly ensuring the survival of other
species of fauna. This is important because it is the first
study to uncover the hidden biomass of these salamanders, said
Semlitsch, professor of biological sc