As metropolitan areas around the world grow, conservationists are managing more habitats adjacent to or within urban areas. Increased impervious surfaces and more abundant pollutants associated with urban landscapes can greatly impact the surrounding aquatic systems. While there has been much research into urban stream syndrome and its impacts on local flora and fauna, little of this research has focused on how urbanization specifically affects stream salamanders. The objective of this study is to determine the extent to which stream salamander relative density is impacted by the proportion of developed land cover in the surrounding area. From August to November 2025, we conducted monthly salamander surveys in 29 streams from 10 watersheds in Mecklenburg County. During these monthly surveys, we collected environmental data on variables including canopy cover, local developed land cover, water quality, stream discharge, and streambed substrate composition. I collected data on adults of two salamander species, the northern dusky salamander (Desmognathus fuscus) and the southern two-lined salamander (Eurycea cirrigera), as well as larval salamanders. While both species rely on streams for breeding and larval development, northern dusky salamanders spend most of their life within streams, while southern two-lined salamanders utilize local terrestrial habitats to a greater extent. Larval salamanders are present in local streams year-round, with ovipositing from spring through summer for both species. My analysis indicates that the relative density of stream salamanders in Mecklenburg County are minimally impacted by changes in these variables—with the exception of amount of developed cover within 150 m of the stream and the month of survey. The relative density of northern dusky salamander and combined dusky and southern two-lined salamander numbers showed a positive correlation to local developed cover levels. Larval salamander relative densities had a positive relationship with the month of survey. These results may demonstrate high environmental tolerance by northern dusky salamanders and an increase in the juvenile cohort during the fall breeding season. Further research should investigate if similar patterns exist in cities with different salamander species and with varying greenspace management or abundance.
