Herpetofaunal Community Research Articles

High Resilience of Herpetofaunal Communities in a Human-Modified Tropical Dry Forest Landscape in Western Mexico

Secondary forests are replacing mature primary forests in the tropics because of increasing demand for agricultural land to support the growing human population. It is important to determine the potential of these secondary forests to support old-growth forest species, particularly threatened animal groups such as reptiles and amphibians. Moreover, existing studies are biased towards tropical rain forests, even though tropical dry forests (TDF) are comparatively more threatened. Here we examine how different TDF successional stages support old-growth forest species of amphibians and reptiles in the Chamela region, western Mexico. Over the course of two years we conducted seven surveys for amphibians and reptiles in 15 one-ha plots representing four different stages of the succession chronosequence of the TDF, ranging from pasture to old-growth forest. We found that anurans, lizards and snakes did not differ greatly in abundance and species richness among vegetation successional stages. Moreover, dominant species were shared among most of the vegetation stages, indicating low habitat specialization. Herpetofauna species composition did not differ among vegetation stages, and species turnover among stages was relatively low. These results differ greatly from those found in some tropical rainforest sites, where characteristics of herpetofauna communities differ markedly among vegetation successional stages. Our results suggest that secondary TDF in human-dominated landscapes might support substantial reptile and amphibian diversity.

Herpetofaunal community change in multiple habitats after fifteen years in a southwest Florida preserve, USA.

Herpetofaunal declines have been documented globally, and southern Florida, USA, is an especially vulnerable region because of high impacts from hydrological perturbations and nonindigenous species. To assess the extent of recent change in herpetofauna community composition, we established a baseline inventory during 1995-97 at a managed preserve in a habitat rich area of southwest Florida, and repeated our sampling methods fifteen years later (2010-11). Nine drift fence arrays were placed in four habitat types: mesic flatwood, mesic hammock, depression marsh, and wet prairie. Trapping occurred daily for one week during 7-8 sampling runs in each period (57 and 49 total sampling days, respectively). Species richness was maintained in mesic hammock habitats but varied in the others. Catch rates of several native species (Anaxyrus terrestris, Lithobates grylio, Anolis carolinensis, Nerodia fasciata) declined significantly. Other native species (Lithobates sphenocephalus, Siren lacertian, and Notophthalmus viridescens piaropicola) that were abundant in 1995-97 declined by greater than 50%. Catch rate of only two species (the nonindigenous Anolis sagrei and the native Diadophis punctatus) increased significantly. Hierarchical cluster analysis indicated similarity within habitat types but significant dissimilarity between sampling periods, confirming shifts in community composition. Analysis of individual species’ contributions to overall similarity across habitats shows a shift from dominance of native species in the 1990s to increased importance of nonindigenous species in 2010-11. Although natural population fluctuations may have influenced differences between the two sampling periods, our results suggest considerable recent change in the structure and composition of this southwest Florida herpetofaunal community. The causes are unknown, but hydrological shifts and ecological impacts of nonindigenous species may have contributed.

Fossil and subfossil herpetofauna from Cadet 2 Cave (Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe Islands, F. W. I.): Evolution of an insular herpetofauna since the Late Pleistocene

This study deals with the herpetofaunal fossil and subfossil remains from the Cadet 2 site (Marie-Galante, Guadeloupean Archipelago). This study provides new data concerning the herpetofaunal community since the Late Pleistocene by revealing the early local occurrence of some taxa (Eleutherodactylus sp., cf. Sphaerodactylus sp., Ameiva sp., cf. Capitellum mariagalantae, Anolis cf. ferreus, cf. Antillotyphlops sp., cf. Alsophis sp. and Colubroidea sp. 1) and possible Pleistocene extinctions (Boa sp. and Colubroidea sp. 2). Moreover, the first metric data for fossil Marie-Galante anoles show clear size stability throughout time. As regards the evolution of the island herpetofaunal biodiversity, our work points to the long-term stability of the fauna before human colonization and subsequently to the marked impact of human-caused environmental disturbances during colonial but also Pre-Columbian periods.

Opposing responses to ecological gradients structure amphibian and reptile communities across a temperate grassland–savanna–forest landscape

Temperate savannas are threatened across the globe. If we prioritize savanna restoration, we should ask how savanna animal communities differ from communities in related open habitats and forests. We documented distribution of amphibian and reptile species across an open-savanna–forest gradient in the Midwest U.S. to determine how fire history and habitat structure affected herpetofaunal community composition. The transition from open habitats to forests was a transition from higher reptile abundance to higher amphibian abundance and the intermediate savanna landscape supported the most species overall. These differences warn against assuming that amphibian and reptile communities will have similar ecological responses to habitat structure. Richness and abundance also often responded in opposite directions to some habitat characteristics, such as cover of bare ground or litter. Herpetofaunal community species composition changed along a fire gradient from infrequent and recent fires to frequent but less recent fires. Nearby (200-m) wetland cover was relatively unimportant in predicting overall herpetofaunal community composition while fire history and fire-related canopy and ground cover were more important predictors of composition, diversity, and abundance. Increased developed cover was negatively related to richness and abundance. This indicates the importance of fire history and fire related landscape characteristics, and the negative effects of development, in shaping the upland herpetofaunal community along the native grassland–forest continuum.

Grassland Fire and Cattle Grazing Regulate Reptile and Amphibian Assembly Among Patches

Fire and grazing are common management schemes of grasslands globally and are potential drivers of reptilian and amphibian (herpetofauna) metacommunity dynamics. Few studies have assessed the impacts of fire and cattle grazing on herpetofauna assemblages in grasslands. A patch-burn grazing study at Osage Prairie, MO, USA in 2011-2012 created landscape patches with treatments of grazing, fire, and such legacies. Response variables were measured before and after the application of treatments, and I used robust-design occupancy modeling to estimate patch occupancy and detection rate within patches, and recolonization and extinction (i.e., dispersal) across patches. I conducted redundancy analysis and a permuted multivariate analysis of variance to determine if patch type and the associated environmental factors explained herpetofauna assemblage. Estimates for reptiles indicate that occupancy was seasonally constant in Control patches (ψ ~ 0.5), but declined to ψ ~ 0.15 in patches following the applications of fire and grazing. Local extinctions for reptiles were higher in patches with fire or light grazing (ε ~ 0.7) compared to the controls. For the riparian herpetofaunal community, patch type and grass height were important predictors of abundance; further, the turtles, lizards, snakes, and adult amphibians used different patch types. The aquatic amphibian community was predicted by watershed and in-stream characteristics, irrespective of fire or grazing. The varying responses from taxonomic groups demonstrate habitat partitioning across multiple patch types undergoing fire, cattle grazing, and legacy effects. Prairies will need an array of patch types to accommodate multiple herpetofauna species.

Comparative performance of incidence-based estimators of species richness in temperate zone herpetofauna inventories

Species inventories provide the basic information for biodiversity studies. Designing cost-effective species inventories is important in estimating the species richness or the number of additional species expected in a study area. Complete species inventories are difficult to achieve and a variety of estimation methods are available to counter the underestimation of species richness associated with incomplete sampling. A main criterion of selecting an estimation method requires deciding on a sampling unit type. The sampling unit may vary across study and estimating species richness using different sample units may produce different results. We evaluated the ability of incidence-based estimators of species richness to provide reliable estimates of species richness of temperate herpetofauna (i.e. amphibian and reptile) communities using two different types of sampling units (i.e. numbers of sampling days and the number of sampling sites, respectively). Our results showed that incidence-based estimators varied in their performance according to the two sampling units used. The incidence-based coverage estimator performed best when sampling unit was the number of sampling days whereas second-order Jackknife was the best estimator using sites as sampling unit. We draw attention on the lack of robustness of incidence-based estimators to sampling unit and recommend using species richness estimators in inventories of herpetofauna depending on the sampling unit.

Proximity to coarse woody debris increases reptile presence in an Australian subtropical rainforest remnant

The persistence of Australia's forest herpetofauna communities depends on the availability of spatially heterogeneous microhabitats. The composition of these communities is directly related to the availability of complex structures such as coarse woody debris, an integral attribute of forest ecosystems that provides structurally diverse habitat for biota. This study aimed to determine whether the distribution of herpetofauna within an Australian subtropical rainforest remnant is significantly influenced by the presence or absence of coarse woody debris. Capture and release of herpetofauna at 30 sample sites (15 with coarse woody debris present within a 20 m proximity and 15 with coarse woody debris absent within a 20 m proximity) using double-ended funnel traps determined that reptile capture frequencies were significantly higher at sites with coarse woody debris, due mainly to large captures of Eulamprus murrayi. Amphibian capture frequencies did not differ between the two site types, but was found to differ with rainfall events. Findings from this study suggest that management practices reducing coarse woody debris availability should be avoided.

A status assessment and review of the herpetofauna within the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron

Amphibians and reptiles are key bioindicators of environmental health and habitat quality and can be used to provide baseline information to help assess habitat conditions and evaluate restoration success. In 2011 and 2012 we conducted comprehensive herpetological surveys throughout the Saginaw Bay area and assessed community composition, species richness, and spatial distribution. We also compared current distributions to historic observations and habitat conditions. A total of 25 taxa (13 species of reptiles and 12 species of amphibians) were observed within the Saginaw Bay area during this study. Herpetofauna were conspicuously unobserved in areas where Phragmites australis dominates the vegetation community and were concentrated in remaining areas of suitable habitat adjacent to Phragmites. Herpetofauna observations were clustered in areas where Phragmites and other invasive plant species were rare or absent. We were able to relate categorization of Phragmites invasion (i.e., 1=0–10% colonization detected, 2=10–50%, 3>50%) to both a biologically and statistically significant decrease in amphibian and reptile species richness. Our results indicate that Saginaw Bay can support a diverse herpetofauna community and there is potential to restore and improve this region for rare and common amphibian and reptile species. Removal of invasive plant species would greatly improve herpetofaunal communities within Saginaw Bay. Our results will help this region's resource professionals assess the quality of habitat and set goals for restoration of amphibian and reptile habitats.

Leaf-litter herpetofaunal richness, abundance, and community assembly in mono-dominant plantations and primary forest of northeastern Costa Rica

Given current deforestation and land-use change in species-rich tropical for- ests, a pressing need in conservation biology is to understand how converted, human- modified landscapes support biodiversity. Here, we measured the species richness, abun- dance, and community composition of amphibians and reptiles in reference primary forest and mono-dominant plantations of three native tree species (Pentaclethra macroloba, Virola koschnyi, Vochysia guatemalensis) at La Selva Biological Station in the Caribbean lowlands of northern Costa Rica. Because these plantation species generate markedly different forest-floor habitats, we hypothesized that tree species would support different assemblages of leaf-litter herpetofauna. Primary forest, Virola, and Vochysia supported greater richness of frogs than Pentaclethra. Frog densities were significantly lower in Pentaclethra and Vochysia than in nearby primary forest. Using non-metric multidimen- sional scaling and permutational multivariate analysis of variance, we found Pentaclethra to support significantly different assemblages of frogs and lizards than primary forest reference sites, while Vochysia supported a unique assemblage of frogs. Our results suggest that some tree species plantations can support herpetofaunal assemblages comparable to primary forest in richness, community assembly, and abundance. While herpetofaunal community ecology varies among plantation species, our study provides a compelling example of how plantation landscapes can facilitate the restoration of native fauna on degraded landscapes.

An Assessment of Herpetofaunal and Non-Volant Mammal Communities at Sites in the Piedmont of North Carolina

The southeastern United States contains a rich diversity of vertebrate spe- cies. Despite this, the Piedmont province of the southeastern US has received less attention than the more biologically diverse Coastal Plain and Mountain regions. Yet, the Piedmont region experiences the greatest anthropogenic impact and should be the focus of conservation efforts. In an attempt to obtain diversity information for this under-studied region, we surveyed amphibian, reptile, and non-volant mammal communities for one year at two sites in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Our survey methodologies included drift fences, artificial cover objects, camera traps, and visual encounter surveys. We captured or obtained evidence of a total of 49 species across both sites (mammals = 20, amphibians = 15, reptiles = 14), and over 2000 animals were captured or detected. We calculated measures of species richness, abundance, diversity, and evenness for each study site, and calculated similarity between sites. Diversity and evenness measures varied, but were generally highest for amphibians or reptiles and lowest for mammals. Measures of similarity between study sites indicated high similarity. The species we observed were comparable to those reported by past inventory projects in the Piedmont of North Carolina, although such projects have been sparse. Our results provide much-needed information on vertebrate communities in this under-studied region.

Effects of short-rotation controlled burning on amphibians and reptiles in pine woodlands

Fire is being used increasingly as a forest management tool throughout North America, but its effects on reptiles and amphibians in many ecosystems are unclear. Open woodlands with understories dominated by herbaceous vegetation benefit many wildlife species, but maintaining these woodlands requires frequent burning. Although many studies have compared herpetofaunal responses in burned forests to unburned forests, fewer studies have examined changes in the herpetofaunal community during the interval between short-rotation prescribed burns. We examined changes in habitat and relative abundance of reptiles and amphibians each year within a 3-year burn cycle in nine restored pine woodlands of western Arkansas, USA. Overall numbers of reptiles did not change among the three burn years; however, capture rates for one snake species (southern black racer [Coluber constrictor priapus]) and three lizards differed among the three post-burn years. Overall capture rate for anurans and all amphibians combined was greatest the first year after burning, mostly because captures of dwarf American toads (Bufo americanus charlessmithi) were substantially greater in stands the first year after burning. Salamander captures were infrequent. Capture rates of most reptile and amphibian species declined over the 3-year sampling period. Only minor changes in capture rate occurred among the 36 species we evaluated during the intervening years between frequent burns. Capture rates for only two species were lower the first year after fire. Although not all herpetofaunal species benefited from frequent fire, most species appeared to tolerate the frequent burning necessary for maintaining open pine woodlands in the Ouachita Mountains.

Urban and wildland herpetofauna communities and riparian microhabitats along the Salt River, Arizona

Metropolitan areas are continually expanding, resulting in increasing impacts on ecosystems. Worldwide, riverine floodplains are among the most endangered landscapes and are often the focus of restoration activities. Amphibians and reptiles have valuable ecological roles in ecosystems, and promoting their abundance and diversity when rehabilitating riparian systems can contribute to reestablishing degraded ecosystem functions. We evaluated the herpetofauna community by measuring abundance, richness, diversity, and species-habitat relations along three reaches (wildland, urban rehabilitated, and urban disturbed reaches) varying in degree of urbanization and rehabilitation along the Salt River in central Arizona. We performed visual surveys for herpetofauna and quantified riparian microhabitat along eight transects per reach. The wildland reach had the greatest herpetofauna species richness and diversity, and had similar abundance compared to the urban rehabilitated reach. The urban disturbed reach had the lowest herpetofauna abundance and species richness, and had a similar diversity compared to the urban rehabilitated reach. Principal Component Analysis reduced 21 microhabitat variables to five factors which described habitat differences among reaches. Vegetation structural complexity, vegetation species richness, densities of Prosopis (mesquite), Salix (willow), Populus (cottonwood), and animal burrow density had a positive correlation with at least one herpetofauna community parameter, and had a positive correlation with abundance of at least one lizard species. Rehabilitation activities positively influenced herpetofauna abundance and species richness; whereas, urbanization negatively influenced herpetofauna diversity. Based on herpetofauna-microhabitat associations, we recommend urban natural resource managers increase vegetation structural complexity and woody debris to improve herpetofauna habitat when rehabilitating degraded riparian systems.

Herpetological assemblages of the Pilbara biogeographic region, Western Australia: ecological associations, biogeographic patterns and conservation

The Pilbara region has one of the most diverse reptile assemblages in the world and includes many typical arid zone species as well as many saxicoline endemics. We present the results of a four-year survey of the region during which pitfall trap lines were used to sample 297 quadrats for a total of two weeks in spring and in autumn. The quadrats were located across the region and were chosen to sample the main substrate types. Environmental variables were measured to characterise the soil as well as the geomorphic, vegetative and climatic setting of each quadrat. We used the program PATN to expose patterns in species composition among quadrats, and in relation to the environmental variables. A strong signal for community structure emerged that was linked to surface type. Broad rock, clay, sand and loam categorisations seemed to explain most assemblage composition, with climatic variables showing only weak influence. However, many taxa occurred across several surface types, reflecting the close juxtaposition of habitats within the region, wide dispersion of some taxa, and perhaps the influence of recent environmental history including anthropogenic changes. Examination of biogeographic characteristics of the species groups indicated strong endemism for taxa that preferred rocky substrates. In addition, many saxicoline Pilbara taxa have ranges that extend south into rocky areas of the Gascoyne, western Murchison and adjacent areas. Sandy habitats similar to those found in the Pilbara are widespread across Australia's arid zone, and accordingly few endemic taxa showed a preference for sandy surface types, and taxa with such preferences have distributions extending far beyond the Pilbara. The sandy areas of the coastal plain in the Roebourne subregion contained many taxa from Dampierland and the Great Sandy Desert to the north and north-east, as well as some taxa from the rich sand-adapted fauna of the Carnarvon region to the south. Some endemic taxa are associated with clay in the region, although clay surfaces were not as extensive as the rocky, loamy and sandy surfaces. Species associated with the fine-textured soils of the mulga woodlands in the southern part of the region appear to be an extension of herpetofaunal communities of regions to the south. Herpetofauna composition at the regional scale appears to have persisted, and patterns discerned in our analysis appear robust, despite the changes that have accompanied European colonisation in the Pilbara, including pastoralism, changed fire regimes, weeds, introduced animals, mining and infrastructure. However, the existing reserve system does not adequately capture the region's herpetofaunal diversity, especially the endemic taxa in the Fortescue and Roebourne subregions, and there are likely to have been changes in community composition at the local level.

Herpetofaunal community structure and habitat associations in Gunung Ciremai National Park, West Java, Indonesia

Riyanto A (2011) Herpetofaunal community structure and habitat associations in Gunung Ciremai National Park, West Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 12: 38-44. Community structure and habitat associations of amphibians and reptiles on both rainy and dry seasons of six habitat types of three sites in Gunung Ciremai National Park, West Java were investigated in March and October 2008. The data of herpetofauna was obtained by opportunistic searches. Herpetofaunal diversity for each habitat was determined by using Shannon Wienerindex, the species abundance per unit area was calculated by using Margalef’s index, and the homogeneity of distribution of species in relation to other species in a sampled per unit area was evaluated using Evenness index. The similarity in herpetofauna communities among habitat types was determined using Sorensen’s coefficient, meanwhile the Jaccard’s index was used to estimate similarities in habitat utilization. Thus, both community similarities and habitat utilization displayed in cluster dendrogram. A total of 46 amphibian and reptile taxa were recorded, comprising 16 anurans, 22 lizards and 8 snakes. Of the total taxa, four anurans are endemic and unusual specimens probably new in sciences referred to the genus Cyrtodactylus and Eutropis. There were differed in sequential of biological indices among habitat types but not much different in their values. The result of cluster analysis showed different patterns on the community similarity among habitat type and habitat utilization during rainy and dry seasons.Key words: community, habitat utilization, amphibians, reptiles, Gunung Ciremai, Indonesia

Effects of Geomorphology and Primary Productivity on Amazonian Leaf Litter Herpetofauna

The Amazon Basin, representing the largest expanse of intact tropical rain forest on the planet, harbors the largest diversity of amphibians and reptiles in the world. Limited elevation and climate differences across the Basin belie one major division of upland forests – geomorphological soil age and induced nutrient levels. We hypothesized that secondary consumers in the leaf litter herpetofauna community on ancient soils of Central Amazonia would exhibit reduced biomass compared with those found on younger soils of Western Amazonia, and that population densities on ancient soils could be driven below viable thresholds, reducing species richness. We found overall herpetofauna abundance, biomass and richness on young soils in Ecuador were significantly greater than those on ancient soils in the Brazilian Amazon. Separately, amphibians were only slightly more abundant, but their biomass on younger soils was twice that on ancient soils. Even more impressive was the variation exhibited by lizards: abundance was not significantly different, but biomass was five times greater on younger soils. Diversity of both taxa was greater on young soils. The most important driver of differences in herpetofauna biomass, abundance and possibly diversity across Amazonia may be the underlying geomorphologic differences. Reduced primary productivity on ancient soils appears to reverberate up the food chain, leaving fewer resources for higher trophic levels. We suggest that conservation initiatives must compensate for reduced biomass on ancient soils through increased reserve size, especially as forest fragmentation escalates. This study highlights the importance of including biomass as a standard measure in herpetofauna sampling.

Komunitas Herpetofauna dan Potensinya bagi Sektor Ekowisata pada Kawasan Ketenger-Baturraden di Selatan Kaki Gunung Slamet, Jawa Tengah

I expressed the distribution, broad habitat association, and ecotourism potential of herpetofauna based on four habitat types on Ketenger-Baturraden,MountSlamet,Central Java. The data was gathered by opportunistic searching. Sorensen index was used to determine similarity between communities; and cluster analysis was used to determine the habitat utilization. As the results, 35 species were recorded, comprising 16 frogs, 11 lizards and 8 snakes. The species richness was decreased from natural forest to habitat types that open and having homogenous vegetation. The herpetofauna communities between natural forest and limited production forest had the highest similarity (50%). The natural forest is important habitat and should be conserved. Based on habitat types, there were nine groups of herpetofauna. The ecotourism potential of herpetofaunal richness on Ketenger-Baturraden is not yet exploited.

Conservation value of tropical secondary forest: A herpetofaunal perspective

In some areas of the tropics forests are recovering on abandoned cattle pastures. These secondary forests may be important habitats for conserving biodiversity, but we know little about their species composition over the long term. We studied herpetofaunal community changes in a 40 years chronosequence of forest succession on abandoned pastures in Puerto Rico. Twelve submontane sites (100–250 masl) represented four forest recovery stages: pasture, young (1–5 years after abandonment), intermediate (10–20 years), and advanced (40 years). Among these stages we analyzed the relationship of forest structure, microclimate, and herpetofaunal community structure. During succession total forest height increased, new strata of vegetation appeared in the understory, and the forest gained heterogeneity and complexity. Microclimate changed with changes in the physiognomy and structure of the vegetation. Microclimatic shifts were more dramatic in forest <20 years since abandonment. During 1 year we observed 7991 individuals of thirteen reptilian species (60% of observations) and six anuran species. Herpetofaunal richness was similar among stages, but the total abundance increased through succession. Relative abundance of anurans and reptiles was similar between stages, but species dominance changed with succession. Forest >20 years old resembles mature forest in some structural characteristics important to herpetofauna and can provide habitat for forest herpetofauna in disturbed areas.

Influence of coarse woody debris on herpetofaunal communities in upland pine stands of the southeastern Coastal Plain

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is thought to benefit herpetofauna in a variety of ways including serving as feeding sites, providing a moist environment, and providing protection from temperature extremes. We investigated the importance of CWD to amphibian and reptile communities in managed upland pine stands in the southeastern United States Coastal Plain during years 6 and 7 of a long-term study. Using a randomized complete block design, 1 of the following treatments was assigned to 9.3-ha plots: removal ( n = 3; all downed CWD ≥10 cm in diameter and ≥60 cm long removed), downed addition ( n = 3; five-fold increase in volume of down CWD), snag ( n = 3; 10-fold increase in volume of standing dead CWD), and control ( n = 3; unmanipulated). Herpetofauna were captured seasonally using drift-fence pitfall trapping arrays within treatment plots. We compared abundance, diversity, and richness of anurans, salamanders, lizards, and snakes using analysis of covariance with topographic variables (slope, elevation, aspect, and distance to nearest stream) included as covariates. We captured 355 amphibians and 668 reptiles seasonally from January 2007 to August 2008. Abundance, species richness, and species diversity were similar among treatments for anurans, salamanders, and lizards. Snake abundance, species richness, and diversity were higher in removal than downed addition plots. Anuran abundance increased as distance to nearest stream decreased. The majority of species captured during this study are adept at burrowing into the sandy soils of the region. Lack of reliance on CWD may be the result of herpetofaunal adaptation to the longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris) ecosystem that historically dominated the upland areas of the study area.

Reptile and Amphibian Responses to Large-Scale Wildfires in Southern California

In 2003, southern California experienced several large fires that burned thousands of hectares of wildlife habitats and conserved lands. To investigate the effects of these fires on the reptile and amphibian communities, we compared the results from prefire herpetofauna and vegetation sampling to two years of postfire sampling across 38 burned and 17 unburned plots. The sampling plots were spread over four vegetation types and four open space areas within San Diego County. Our capture results indicated that burned chaparral and coastal sage scrub plots lost herpetofaunal species diversity after the fires and displayed a significant shift in overall community structure. Shrub and tree cover at the burned plots, averaged across the second and third postfire years, had decreased by 53% in chaparral and 75% in coastal sage scrub. Additionally, postfire herpetofauna community structure at burned plots was more similar to that found in unburned grasslands. In grassland and woodland/riparian vegetation plots, where shrub and tree cover was not significantly affected by fires, we found no differences in the herpetofaunal species diversity or community composition. At the individual species level, Sceloporus occidentalis was the most abundant reptile in these areas both before and after the fires. We saw increases in the net capture rates for several lizard species, including Aspidoscelis tigris, Phrynosoma coronatum, and Uta stansburiana in burned chaparral plots and Aspidoscelis hyperythra and U. stansburiana in burned coastal sage scrub plots. The toad, Bufo boreas, was detected at significantly fewer burned plots in chaparral after the fires. Additionally, we documented decreases in the number of plots occupied by lizards (Elgaria multicarinata), salamanders (Batrachoseps major), and snakes (Coluber constrictor, Lampropeltis getula, Pituophis catenifer, and Masticophis lateralis) in coastal sage scrub and chaparral after the fires. We discuss the individual species results as they relate to such life-history traits as the susceptibility to initial mortality, the response to the altered postfire habitat, and shifts in the availability of potential prey. We foresee that a continued unnatural fire regime will result in a simplification of the southern California reptile and amphibian communities.

Reptile and Amphibian Responses to Restoration of Fire‐Maintained Pine Woodlands

Abstract Fire‐maintained woodlands and savannas are important ecosystems for vertebrates in many regions of the world. These ecosystems are being restored by forest managers, but little information exists on herpetofaunal responses to this restoration in areas dominated by shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata). We compared habitat characteristics and herpetofaunal communities in restored pine woodlands to relatively unmanaged, second‐growth forests in the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas, USA. We found woodland restoration with periodic burning affected species differently; some species benefited, some species appeared negatively affected, but most species did not respond clearly either way. Overall reptile captures were significantly (p = 0.041) greater in pine‐woodlands than in unrestored forest; one species of snake and three species of lizards were captured more often in woodlands than unrestored forests. Among anurans, we found no significant difference in captures between woodlands and unrestored forests for any species. Among salamanders, we captured western slimy salamanders (Plethodon albagula) almost exclusively in unrestored forest, but captures of other species did not differ between the two treatments. Historically, the Ouachita region likely consisted of a mosaic that included both fire‐maintained habitats (woodlands, savannas, and prairies) and areas of denser forest on mesic sites that were less likely to burn. Consequently, landscapes that retain both open woodlands and denser, less‐intensely burned forest (in the form of unharvested greenbelts or separate stands) would likely promote and maintain a greater diversity of herpetofauna.