9 



dispersal between adjacent sites is unknown. Because Coeur 

 d'Alene salamanders are typically aquatic, they are restricted in 

 movements over terrestrial habitats, particularly in arid forests 

 or areas with little canopy cover. 



Small, isolated populations are at risk of extinction from 

 four categories of stochastic events: genetic, demographic, 

 environmental, and natural catastrophes. Allendorf and Leary 

 (1986) provide an extensive review of the literature linking 

 heterozygosity and fitness, both in species and populations. 

 Small populations tend to lose variation by genetic drift more 

 rapidly than larger populations (Lacy 1987) . Similarly, they are 

 more susceptible to catastrophic events (e.g., fire, floods) 

 which eliminate or alter habitat and kill individuals. 

 Inbreeding in small populations has been shown to contribute to 

 inbreeding depression and lead to numerous deleterious effects 

 (Ralls et al. 1986) . 



That Coeur d'Alene salamander populations are often small and 

 and apparently isolated (apparently because dispersal capacity is 

 unknown) is of concern for their continued viability. Long-term 

 survival of the species will require preserving the genetic 

 diversity found throughout its range. It is neither feasible nor 

 likely necessary to preserve every population to meet this 

 objective. However, adequate management will require a better 

 understanding of how genetic variation is distributed, within and 

 among populations (Allendorf and Leary 1986) . 



Recent investigations of geographic variation in the Olympic 



