Note: Cover -- Behavioral Ecology of the Eastern Red-​backed Salamander -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of Figures -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- 1. Prelude -- 1.1 Bob Jaeger meets the eastern red-​backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus -- 1.2 An introduction to red-​backed salamanders -- 1.3 The plot of our research program -- 1.4 Comments concerning methodology and statistical paradigms -- 2. Interspecific competition between P. cinereus and P. shenandoah -- 2.1 Ecological studies -- 2.2 Behavioral experiments -- 2.3 Selected recent research by others: Interspecific competition -- 3. Intraspecific territoriality by P. cinereus -- 3.1 Definition and theory -- 3.2 Distribution and prey availability -- 3.3 Site tenacity by P. cinereus -- 3.4 Determining sex and defining behavioral patterns -- 3.5 The use of odors and dear enemy recognition -- 3.6 The expulsion of intruders -- 3.7 Testing territoriality in the forest -- 3.8 Variables that affect territorial contests -- 3.8.1 Length of residency -- 3.8.2 Body size -- 3.8.3 Body size without residency -- 3.8.4 Sex and reproductive condition -- 3.8.5 Intruder number -- 3.8.6 Tail condition -- 3.8.7 Food quantity -- 3.8.8 Food quality -- 3.8.9 Signal honesty -- 3.9 Life history traits and territorial contests -- 3.9.1 Variation in reproductive success among females -- 3.9.2 Payoffs to and RHP of territorial owners -- 3.9.3 Resource acquisition and energy allocation -- 3.10 Seasonal and geographic variation in territorial agonistic behavior -- 3.10.1 Seasonal variation -- 3.10.2 Geographical variation -- 3.11 Selected recent research by others: Intraspecific territoriality -- 4. Foraging tactics by P. cinereus within territories -- 4.1 Foraging on live versus dead prey -- 4.2 Diet breadth -- 4.3 Optimal prey choice -- 4.4 Territorial and foraging behavioral conflicts. , 4.5 Assessing prey densities -- 4.6 Judging prey profitabilities -- 4.7 Conflicts between foraging behavior and territorial defense -- 4.8 Diet diversity and clutch size -- 4.9 Selected recent research by others: Foraging tactics -- 5. Pheromonal glands and pheromonal communication by P. cinereus -- 5.1 Early studies suggest pheromones do occur -- 5.2 Do males of P. cinereus produce territorial pheromones? -- 5.3 Do females of P. cinereus produce territorial pheromones? -- 5.4 Where are those pheromones produced in males and females? -- 5.5 Focusing on the postcloacal gland -- 5.6 What information does the postcloacal gland communicate? -- 5.7 What signals do pheromones communicate? -- 5.8 Scent matching and tail autotomy -- 5.9 Do territorial pheromones aid in homing behavior by P. cinereus? -- 5.10 Are pheromones volatile? -- 5.11 Selected recent research by others: Pheromonal communication -- 6. Interspecific territoriality and other interspecific behavioral interactions -- 6.1 Interspecific territoriality between P. cinereus and P. shenandoah -- 6.2 Rules of engagement with juveniles of P. glutinosus -- 6.3 Plethodon cinereus in an assemblage of salamanders -- 6.4 Ecological tests of behavioral predictions: Enclosed plots on the forest floor -- 6.5 More ecological tests of behavioral predictions: Unenclosed plots on the forest floor -- 6.6 Character displacement: P. cinereus versus P. hoffmani -- 6.7 Competition between P. cinereus and P. hubrichti -- 6.7.1 Habitat niche partitioning? -- 6.7.2 Microhabitat niche partitioning? -- 6.7.3 Intra-​ and interspecific competition? -- 6.7.4 Intra-​ and interspecific territoriality? -- 6.7.5 Summary -- 6.8 Diversity of behaviors by P. cinereus toward other species -- 6.9 Selected recent research by others: Interspecific territoriality -- 7. Intraspecific social behavior within P. cinereus. , 7.1 Interactions of adults and juveniles in the forest and in the laboratory -- 7.2 Distributions of adult males and females -- 7.3 Microdistributions of adults and juveniles -- 7.4 Female-​female interactions -- 7.5 Male-​female behavioral interactions in the forest -- 7.6 The ESS dating game -- 7.7 Males, females, and feces -- 7.8 Females prefer larger males -- 7.9 Males and females prefer familiar opposite-​sex individuals -- 7.10 Social monogamy -- 7.11 Mutual mate guarding -- 7.12 Sexual coercion -- 7.13 Imperfect information during sexual discrimination? -- 7.14 Relationship value and conflict resolution -- 7.15 Natural versus forced partnerships -- 7.16 Females are often genetically polyandrous -- 7.17 Switching from social monogamy to social polygamy -- 7.18 Brooding behavior and neonates: Kin recognition? -- 7.19 What 3,487 uniquely marked salamanders reveal about social relationships -- 7.19.1 Basic population ecology -- 7.19.2 Size distribution and growth rates -- 7.19.3 Sexual maturity and female fecundity -- 7.19.4 Population size -- 7.19.5 Sex ratio -- 7.19.6 Intersexual associational behavior -- 7.19.7 Consequences of tail autotomy -- 7.20 A preliminary model of social organization within P. cinereus -- 7.21 Selected recent research by others: Social behavior -- 8. Predator-​prey interactions between P. cinereus and a snake -- 8.1 Can P. cinereus detect the snake visually or chemically? -- 8.2 Can the snake detect chemical cues from P. cinereus? -- 8.3 Naïve snakes recognize odors of P. cinereus -- 8.4 Tail autotomy deceives the snake -- 8.5 The snake follows the trail of P. cinereus -- 8.6 The predator-​prey evolutionary arms race -- 8.7 Selected recent research by others: Predator-​prey arms races -- 9. Cognitive ecology of P. cinereus -- 9.1 Numerical discrimination by P. cinereus. , 9.2 Both learning and heritability affect foraging ability -- 9.3 Displacement of territorial aggression -- 9.4 The impact of familiarity on salamander behavior -- 9.5 Individual recognition memory -- 9.5.1 The formation of individual recognition memory -- 9.5.2 Sensory modalities used during recognition -- 9.5.3 Do distractors inhibit individual recognition memory? -- 9.5.4 Overview -- 9.6 Selected recent research by others: Cognitive ecology -- 10. Coda: Synthesis and social behaviors by P. cinereus -- 10.1  Behavioral variation within a population -- 10.1.1 Age -- 10.1.2 Tail autotomy -- 10.1.3 Polymorphism -- 10.1.4 Health -- 10.1.5 Bold and shy -- 10.1.6 Experimental flaws -- 10.2  Behavioral options during contests -- 10.3  How salamanders choose among options -- 10.4  Definitions of social, mating, and genetic monogamy -- 10.5  Mea maxima culpa -- References -- Subject Index.