title: Questioning the use of an amphibian colour morph as an indicator of climate change.
abstract: The effects of recent climate changes on earth ecosystems are likely among the most important ecological concerns in human history. Good bioindicators are essential to properly assess the magnitude of these changes. In the last decades, studies have suggested that the morph proportion of the eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus), one of the most widely distributed and abundant vertebrate species in forests of eastern North America, could be used as a proxy for monitoring climate changes. Based on new discoveries in the northern areas of the species' range and on one of the largest compilation ever made for a vertebrate in North America (236 109 observations compiled from 1880 to 2013 in 1148 localities), we demonstrate however that climatic and geographic variables do not influence the colour morph proportions in P. cinereus populations. Consequently, we show that the use of colour morph proportions of this species do not perform as an indicator of climate change. Our findings indicate that bioindicator paradigms can be significantly challenged by new ecological research and more representative databases.
authors.affiliation: Direction de la recherche forestière, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, 2700 rue Einstein, Québec City, QC, G1P 3W8, Canada.
authors.forename: Jean-David
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ouellet
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada; D057231:Climate Change; D005843:Geography; D010858:Pigmentation; D014481:United States; D014562:Caudata / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Plethodon cinereus; amphibian; bioindicator; climate change; colour morph; salamander