3. Landscape and Metapopulation-level Effects of Extreme Climatic Events: An Example with
the Mole Salamander, Ambystoma talpoideum
Climatic factors may have a profound impact on amphibian populations and communities at
multiple spatial and ecological scales [80,118]. At the landscape level, climate-driven shifts in pond
hydroperiods can alter habitat (breeding site) heterogeneity, a necessity for persistence of diverse
communities [80]. Landscape features (e.g., landcover type, numbers, sizes, and spatial relationships of
wetlands) may act as drivers of metapopulation dynamics, altering connectivity among sites, extent of
genetic isolation, and rates of extinction and colonization [119