Because of their abundance and differences in habits, salamanders in the San Francisco Bay region are well suited to an ecophysiological study. Their marked dependence upon physical factors, such as water, humidity, and temperature, further enhances their value for such investigations. The purpose of the present undertaking is to relate the nature of water regulation in the several forms studied to their behavior and occurrence. The animals selected were two wholly terrestrial plethodontid salamanders, Ensatina eschscholtzii xanthoptica Stebbins, a ground dweller, and Aneides lugubris lugubris (Hallowell), of semi-arboreal habits, and a salamandrid, Triturus torosus (Rathke), a species that is aquatic during the breeding season. The technique employed in the study was to measure rates of water loss and gain tinder controlled conditions of dehydration and hydration. The investigation was primarily concerned with conditions salamanders would most probably encounter in nature rather than the extremes of vital limits. Therefore the animals were not dehydrated to the extent of approaching the lethal limits. This work was carried out tinder the guidance of Professor Robert C. Stebbins and was aided by advice and suggestions of Professors S. F. Cook and Oliver P. Pearson.
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Nathan W. Cohen (1952) studied this question.