DO NON-BREEDING, ADULT LONG-TOED SALAMANDERS RESPOND TO CONSPECIFICS AS FRIENDS OR AS FOES?

The majority of studies of amphibian sociobiology focuses on breeding individuals, However. adults certainly interact when not breeding and may do so subtly and in natural habitats that are inaccessible to direct observation. We conducted three laboratory experiments to explore social interactions among non-breeding, adult long-toed salamanders (Ambystoma macrodactylum columbiamum), which reside ill terrestrial burrows in nature, In substrate discrimination tests, salamanders preferred directs that bore chemical cues indicative of occupancy by a conspecific relative to clean areas (Experiment 1), However, only females discriminated occupant sex. preferring to associate with chemical cues derived from males (Experiment 2), When provided with a partner salamanders spent more time it) cohabitation in all artificial burrow than residing alone Experiment 3). Our data suggest that, in nature. non-breeding adults may be social rather than territorial; conspecifics may aggregate rather than exclude one another, However. males and females may experience different kinds of benefits and costs to sociality outside of the breeding season, perhaps as a function of sex differences in energetic requirements for future reproduction.