Investigation of the population dynamics of Salamandra infraimmaculata martens 1885, (Fire Salamander) in sugözü (Besni-Adıyaman)

In this study, the aim was to determine the population structure, size, age, sex ratio, sexual maturity age, and environmental conditions of the fire salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata, in the Sugözü (Besni-Adıyaman) population between 2021 and 2024 using the "mark-recapture" method, and to identify the necessary measures for the population. As a result of the studies, a total of 288 individuals (156 males, 105 females, and 27 juveniles) were marked over three years: 147 individuals (76 males, 56 females, and 15 juveniles) in the first year, 102 individuals (58 males, 34 females, and 10 juveniles) in the second year, and 39 individuals (22 males, 15 females, and 2 juveniles) in the third year. At the end of three years, the population size was estimated to be 348 individuals (SE=14.4982, Min–Max= 321-378), with a survival rate ranging from 0.08 to 1 and an average of 0.83. The capture probability varied between 0.25 and 1, with an average of 0.46. It was determined that 58.67% of the population were males, 37.02% were females, and 4.31% were juveniles. The population was found to be male-biased. The average age was calculated as 10.67 ±0.46 for males, 11.34±0.47 for females, and 3.04±0.19 for juveniles, with the age of sexual maturity ranging between 3-4 years. The oldest age among the examined samples for the age study was found to be 14.