Changes in a Northwestern Florida Gulf Coast Herpetofaunal Community Over a 28-y Period

Abstract

ABSTRACT Population declines of amphibians and reptiles throughout the world have led to the initiation of projects to monitor their status and trends. Historical collections give an indication of which species occurred in an area at one time, although the ambiguity surrounding locations and environmental conditions associated with collection decreases the value of this information source. Resampling using the same general protocols can give valuable insights to changes in community structure. However, this is only feasible when sampling methodology and exact site locations are known. From 2002–2005 we resampled 12 sites in St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida's panhandle, an area in which intensive herpetological surveys were conducted in 1977–1979. We documented a general decrease in species richness among the diversely managed sites, changes in dominant species and diversity and an increasing trend toward homogeneity of the herpetofaunal community among habitats. Changes were attributed to fou...