Translocation has become an increasingly important tool for mitigating the loss of wildlife populations; however, determining appropriate stocking levels for recipient sites is challenging for species that occur across a wide array of land cover types. The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) occurs in nearly all terrestrial ecosystems in the southeastern United States and is one of the most frequently translocated reptiles in North America. There is a need to determine which habitat characteristics are most suitable to support translocated tortoises and to provide restoration and management targets across different land cover types. To address these needs, we used existing line transect distance sampling data to predict tortoise densities in different land cover types using a Bayesian implementation of a hierarchical distance sampling model. Data were collected from 2014 through 2020 as part of Florida's gopher tortoise monitoring program for state conservation lands, and our models included 2 covariates describing habitat condition: soil depth to water table and canopy cover. The predicted gopher tortoise densities varied by land cover type but generally increased with decreasing canopy cover. Among land cover types and under average soil depth to water table and canopy conditions in each land cover type, coastal strand, sandhill, coastal grassland, and coniferous plantation had the highest predicted tortoise densities (>1 tortoise/ha). Under the same conditions, the lowest predicted densities occurred in upland pine, upland coniferous, xeric hammock, and mesic flatwoods (<0.40 tortoise/ha). This study demonstrates how extensive monitoring data and metrics of land cover condition can be used to inform future translocation protocols and habitat management and restoration.

Wetland structure and function are largely emergent properties of hydrology and the variability of inundated conditions. In the U.S., hydrology is also central to defining legal status of wetlands at the federal level within a continuum of regulatory and conservation programs, with much recent focus on isolated wetlands. Here, we use long-term (1994–2023) water level data from 32 geographically isolated wetlands across Ichauway, a private research facility in the karst Dougherty Plain of southwestern Georgia, to identify spatial and temporal patterns of hydroperiod and identify drivers of inundation over the 30-year record. Wetlands at Ichauway are identified by their vegetation type as marshes, cypress-gum swamps, and cypress savannas. Wetland inundation showed distinct seasonal patterns, with typical inundation between December and early summer. Longer-term, inundation patterns were linked to regional water availability and drought conditions. Hydroperiods in swamps were longer than in marshes and cypress savannahs, and recession rates were faster in cypress savannahs and marshes compared to swamps. Across all wetlands, hydroperiods were strongly linked to variability in the regional water budget, with patterns of groundwater and stream water elevation, strongly influencing the hydrology of isolated wetlands. Our analysis leverages long-term data spanning multi-year climate cycles to inform patterns of inundation in isolated wetlands at the landscape scale.

Savannas depend on frequent, low-intensity fires that shape animal and plant communities. These fires alter animal populations, movement, and habitat use. Here, we report on how fires in a longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savanna affected small mammal microhabitat use via changes in competition and predation. We monitored small mammal populations and vegetation subjected to biennial prescribed fires and compared microhabitat use of three small mammal populations [hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus), cotton mice (Peromyscus gossypinus) and oldfield mice (Peromyscus polionotus)] in the presence and absence of mesocarnivores while accounting for changes in density and movement of each small mammal species. Densities of cotton rats varied greatly across years but were similar between predator exclosures and controls. However, frequency of use was greater in exclosures than in controls irrespective of vegetation characteristics, suggesting predation risk altered cotton rat microhabitat use. Conversely, higher relative abundance of cotton rats was associated with lower cotton mouse and oldfield mouse use, suggesting spatial separation in niche and indicating that cotton mice expand their realized niche following predation-induced declines of cotton rats associated with prescribed burn events. Our results contribute to a better understanding of pyrodiversity and how interspecific interactions can moderate effects of vegetation changes following prescribed fires.

Wind is a primary disturbance type in many forests that influences forest processes and dynamics. The degree of impact depends upon storm characteristics and forest composition. Toppled trees increase canopy openness and create unique pit‐and‐mound microrelief that may provide wildlife habitat. Few studies have examined wildlife use of these structures, especially during the immediate days following disturbance. Therefore, we investigated how vertebrates use newly uprooted longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris ) trees and examined how patterns of use varied with time and tree characteristics. We used static winching methods to topple 9 live longleaf pine trees to simulate wind disturbance. Within a few days, we deployed 2 camera traps at each tip up and monitored the structure monthly from May through December 2021. We recorded 1,115,453 photos; 2% had vertebrates ( n = 22,401), of which 2,413 were independent observations. We identified 48 species that used tip ups to perch, bask, forage, sing, or take refuge. Our analyses of 14 of the most captured species revealed a progression of vertebrate use through time, dominated initially by birds and lizards, followed by amphibians and meso‐mammals. Understanding the ecological impacts of wind disturbance will be useful for management and conservation efforts in wind‐prone forests facing projected increases in storm frequency and severity. Our results suggest that tip ups are an ephemeral wildlife habitat resource that should be considered in decision making surrounding salvage logging and stump harvesting.

An inherent challenge in managing rare or cryptic species is data deficiency. For this reason, ancillary data is a potentially valuable resource for generating key population estimates for priority species. We compiled ancillary commensal data collected between 1982 and 2020 during surveys of gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows to estimate the terrestrial distribution of gopher frogs (Rana capito) from potential breeding wetlands. Gopher frogs were detected in gopher tortoise burrows 30-3,879 m from identified wetlands. A global model of all records from all sites indicated that the probability of a gopher frog residing in a gopher tortoise burrow declined with increasing distance from a wetland. This pattern also held for 4 of 5 sites with a sufficient number of gopher frog detections to model independently. Based on the full data set, we estimated that 50%, 90%, and 99% of gopher frog observations occurred within 392 m, 1,019 m, and 2,752 m of the nearest wetland, respectively. Our results indicate a higher proportion of gopher frogs emigrate longer distances from wetlands than was previously reported using other methods, such as radio-telemetry. This information can directly assist with management decisions, notably the spatial extent for application of habitat management surrounding breeding wetlands. More generally, this study illustrates the capacity of ancillary data to fill data deficiencies for a rare and cryptic species and highlights the importance of these data.

Line-transect distance sampling (LTDS) surveys are commonly used to estimate abundance of animals or objects. In terrestrial LTDS surveys of gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows, the presence of ground-level vegetation substantially decreases detection of burrows of all sizes, but no field or analytical methods exist to control for spatially heterogeneous vegetation obstruction as a source of variation in detection. We propose the addition of a simple measurement of ground-level vegetation that serves as a covariate for the detection function. We present a Bayesian hierarchical model in which covariates burrow width and nearby vegetation height help to account for detection bias and improve precision of estimated density. We investigate the performance of this covariate by simulation and by using real LTDS data collected before and after application of prescribed fire. We collected data in 2018 at the Jones Center at Ichauway in Newton, Georgia, USA. Across all simulations, our model including both covariates produced the most accurate density point estimates of any of the models tested. For our case study, our Bayesian model with vegetation covariates tended to produce similar estimates of density before and after burns. Our study indicates that any level of spatial variation in vegetation obstruction decreases detection of burrows and may lead to underestimation in population size (<= 68%) and proportion of individuals with small burrow sizes (<= 32%) when not considered during analysis. Our work is extensible to other terrestrial sampling efforts where systematic measurement of a spatially distributed obstructing feature is feasible during the LTDS survey.

Understanding risk factors associated with reintroductions is important for making informed decisions within an adaptive framework. Biosecurity measures minimizing the risk of the introduction or spread of transmissible diseases are a priority when considering the release of captive-reared wildlife. Eastern indigo snake (EIS; Drymarchon couperi) reintroductions have been occurring in Alabama since 2010 and in Florida since 2017. During this effort the pathogen Cryptosporidium serpentis was detected, affecting several of the captive breeding snakes. Infected snakes were quarantined and removed from breeding efforts, which reduced snakes available for the reintroduction projects. To make informed management decisions about future reintroduction strategies, 155 free-ranging snakes were sampled at the two release sites and a third site in Georgia to evaluate the natural occurrence of C. serpentis. Additionally, 72 free-ranging EIS and other species incidentally encountered throughout the EIS range were tested opportunistically. All snakes sampled at the three focal sites tested negative, but one opportunistically tested EIS from South Florida tested positive. These results indicate that C. serpentis is present in the environment in at least one location, but at low levels. Our results suggest that, pending additional surveillance, C. serpentis-positive snakes should not be included in reintroduction efforts, and that maintaining a high level of biosecurity is important in captive breeding programs.

The accuracy of posttranslocation population monitoring methods is critical to assessing long-term success in translocation programs. Translocation can produce unique challenges to monitoring efforts; therefore, it is important to understand the flexibility and robustness of commonly used monitoring methods. In Florida, USA, thousands of gopher tortoises Gopherus polyphemus have been, and continue to be, translocated from development sites to permitted recipient sites. These recipient sites create a broad range of potential monitoring scenarios due to variability in soft-release strategies, habitat conditions, and population demographics. Line transect distance sampling is an effective method for monitoring natural tortoise populations, but it is currently untested for translocated populations. We therefore produced 3,024 individual-based, spatially explicit scenarios of translocated tortoise populations that differed in recipient site and tortoise population properties, based on real-world examples, literature review, and expert opinion. We virtually sampled simulated tortoise populations by using line transect distance sampling methods and built a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate the population density for each simulation, which incorporated individual-level covariates (i.e., burrow width and burrow occupancy). Line transect distance sampling was largely appropriate for the conditions that typify gopher tortoise recipient sites, particularly when detection probability on the transect lines was greater than or equal to 0.85. Designing the layout of transects relative to the orientation of soft-release pens, to avoid possible sampling biases that lead to extreme outliers in estimates of tortoise densities, resulted in more accurate population estimates. We also suggest that use of individual-level covariates, applied using a Bayesian framework as demonstrated in our study, may improve the applicability of line transect distance sampling surveys in a variety of contexts and that simulation can be a powerful tool for assessing survey design in complex sampling situations.

The southeastern United States supports some of the greatest levels of amphibian diversity in North America, and several species are in decline. Invasive species in the southeastern United States, such as the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta; hereafter RIFA), may be a factor in amphibian declines via depredation, injury of, and/or competition with native amphibians for arthropod prey. Our objective was to assess the influence of RIFAs and RIM reductions on the diet, growth, and survival of Southern Toads (Anaxyrus terrestris). In 2013 and 2014 we randomly assigned juvenile toads into enclosures either treated with an insecticide, hydramethylnon, to reduce RIFAs (hereafter RIFA treatment) or maintained with ambient levels of RIFAs (hereafter control; n = 4 enclosures per treatment). The mean proportion of recaptured toads was 9.5 and 21 times greater in the RIFA treatment compared to the control in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Toads in the control enclosures were 23% larger at the end of the study than toads recaptured in the RIFA treatment enclosures, though this was driven largely by differences in toad densities. Toad diets in the control and RIFA treatment enclosures overlapped 94%. When considering the dietary overlap of different ant genera only, the dietary overlap was 44%. Our study provides evidence RIFAs alter amphibian populations and may be contributing to amphibian declines in the southeastern United States. Given the high mortality rates we observed, RIFAs should be considered when developing conservation plans for any amphibian species found in areas where RIFAs are present.

International demand for wood and other forest products continues to grow rapidly, and uncertainties remain about how animal communities will respond to intensifying resource extraction associated with woody bioenergy production. We examined changes in alpha and beta diversity of bats, bees, birds, and reptiles across wood production landscapes in the southeastern United States, a biodiversity hotspot that is one of the principal sources of woody biomass globally. We sampled across a spatial gradient of paired forest land-uses (representing pre and postharvest) that allowed us to evaluate biological community changes resulting from several types of biomass harvest. Short-rotation practices and residue removal following clearcuts were associated with reduced alpha diversity (-14.1 and -13.9 species, respectively) and lower beta diversity (i.e., Jaccard dissimilarity) between land-use pairs (0.46 and 0.50, respectively), whereas midrotation thinning increased alpha (+3.5 species) and beta diversity (0.59). Over the course of a stand rotation in a single location, biomass harvesting generally led to less biodiversity. Cross-taxa responses to resource extraction were poorly predicted by alpha diversity: correlations in responses between taxonomic groups were highly variable (-0.2 to 0.4) with large uncertainties. In contrast, beta diversity patterns were highly consistent and predictable across taxa, where correlations in responses between taxonomic groups were all positive (0.05-0.4) with more narrow uncertainties. Beta diversity may, therefore, be a more reliable and information-rich indicator than alpha diversity in understanding animal community response to landscape change. Patterns in beta diversity were primarily driven by turnover instead of species loss or gain, indicating that wood extraction generates habitats that support different biological communities.

Heliothermic lizards, like Aspidoscelis sexlineata (Six-lined Racerunner) and Sceloporus undulatus (Eastern Fence Lizard), use direct solar radiation to maintain high body temperatures needed to fulfill their basic life functions. These lizards are often found in frequently burned Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) savannas that provide open, high-quality thermal habitat and foraging opportunities. We examined microhabitat features surrounding 42 locations where we captured lizards using drift-fences within Longleaf Pine savannas from March to May 2017 to better understand the fine-scale habitat components important for these 2 species. We used negative binomial regression, model selection (AICc), and model averaging to identify important variables associated with lizard habitat use. We found both Six-lined Racerunners ( n = 52) and Eastern Fence Lizards (n = 38) used microhabitats that were characteristic of open- canopied sites (i. e., more bare ground and grass, and less litter, midstory, and canopy cover). However, their use of sites differed in the forest structure selected. The surface-dwelling Six-lined Racerunner selected sites with more stumps and the arboreal Eastern Fence Lizard selected sites with greater Quercus (oak) basal area. Management for these lizards should include activities that promote their habitat, foraging, and thermoregulatory requirements, such as frequent prescribed fire to maintain savannalike conditions and the retention of forest structures for basking and refuge.

The gopher frog Lithobates capito is one of the most terrestrial frogs in the southeastern United States and often inhabits gopher tortoise burrows Gopherus polyphemus outside of the breeding season. Gopher frog populations have declined, and the species is under review for listing as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Much of our knowledge on the status of gopher frogs is based on detections of larvae at breeding wetlands, which can be challenging because of environmental variability and provides no information on the terrestrial life stages of the species. Therefore, an alternative method is called for. We recorded observations of gopher frogs during gopher tortoise surveys at four conservation lands in Florida and used line-transect distance sampling to estimate frog abundance. We also recorded burrow size, incidence of frog co-occupancy with tortoises, and distance from frog-occupied burrows to breeding wetlands. We observed 274 gopher frogs in 1,097 tortoise burrows at the four sites. The proportion of burrows occupied by gopher frogs among sites ranged from 0.17 to 0.25. Gopher frog abundance in tortoise burrows was 742 (512–1,076 95% CL) at Etoniah Creek State Forest, 465 (352–615) at Ft. White Wildlife Environmental Area, 411 (283–595) at Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park, and 134 (97–186) at Watermelon Pond Wildlife Environmental Area. We observed up to four frogs in a single burrow. The proportion of frogs detected in burrows occupied by a gopher tortoise ranged from 0.46 to 0.79 among sites, and overall, gopher frogs preferred burrows occupied by tortoises over unoccupied burrows (χ2 = 15.875; df = 3; P = 0.001). Gopher frogs used burrows from 7 to 43 cm in width; mean width of frog-occupied burrows did not differ from that of unoccupied burrows (F1,3 = 0.049, P = 0.825). Distance from frog-occupied tortoise burrows to the nearest breeding wetland ranged from 141 to 3,402 m. Our data on gopher frogs collected in conjunction with gopher tortoise monitoring efforts using line-transect distance sampling and burrow cameras provided novel information on frog abundance in their terrestrial habitat and required no additional effort. However, the extent to which frogs use tortoise burrows relative to other available refuges (small mammal burrows, stumps, or other structures) is unknown; thus, our estimates should be considered conservative. We suggest that terrestrial abundance estimates for gopher frogs can complement efforts to monitor breeding activity to provide a more comprehensive means of monitoring population trends in this cryptic species.

Seasonally inundated wetlands contribute to biodiversity support and ecosystem function at the landscape scale. These temporally dynamic ecosystems contain unique assemblages of animals adapted to cyclically wet–dry habitats. As a result of the high variation in environmental conditions, wetlands serve as hotspots for animal movement and potentially hotspots of biogeochemical activity and migratory transport of nutrient subsidies. Most amphibians are semi-aquatic and migrate between isolated wetlands and the surrounding terrestrial system to complete their life cycle, with rainfall and other environmental factors affecting the timing and magnitude of wetland export of juveniles. Here we used a long-term drift fence study coupled with system-specific nutrient content data of amphibians from two small wetlands in southeastern Georgia, USA. We couple environmental data with count data of juveniles exiting wetlands to explore the controls of amphibian diversity, production and export and the amphibian life-history traits associated with export over varying environmental conditions. Our results highlight the high degree of spatial and temporal variability in amphibian flux with hydroperiod length and temperature driving community composition and overall biomass and nutrient fluxes. Additionally, specific life-history traits, such as development time and body size, were associated with longer hydroperiods. Our findings underscore the key role of small, isolated wetlands and their hydroperiod characteristics in maintaining amphibian productivity and community dynamics.

Abstract Ecological stoichiometry provides a framework to predict how animals regulate nutritional balances within their tissue and, as a result, how animal biomass affects ecosystem processes through nutrient cycling. However, most interspecific and developmental stoichiometric studies in animals focus on invertebrates, and the few vertebrate studies are largely fish‐centric. Larval anurans are ideal vertebrates to test predictions of developmental and interspecific stoichiometry as they undergo a complex development, exhibit broad arrays of life‐history traits, and can constitute high animal biomass in wetlands, implying major roles in wetland nutrient storage and cycling. We examined (1) patterns of body stoichiometry across larval developmental stages within multiple anuran species, (2) whether key predictors of stoichiometric change, specifically body size, developmental period, and breeding season, influence interspecific stoichiometric variation, and (3) natural magnitudes and fluctuations of larval anuran nutrient storage in geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs). We measured carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) tissue content in larval anurans across five developmental stages within 11 species collected from four GIWs to examine patterns of developmental and interspecific stoichiometry. Within species, we found broad developmental stoichiometric patterns in which later developmental stages were lower in %N, but higher in %P than earlier stages. Patterns in %C were inconsistent but were generally lower in later stages, while tissue C:N ratios increased, and C:P and N:P decreased in later developmental stages. Interspecific stoichiometric variation was partially explained by body size and developmental period which positively affected %C and C:N ratios. We observed spatial and temporal fluctuations in species‐specific biomass which dictated nutrient storage patterns within larval anuran assemblages, though stoichiometric identity played a major role. Our estimated magnitudes of larval anuran areal nutrient storage also greatly exceeded that of other wetland fauna with the maximum estimated areal P storage reaching over 200 times that of a similar‐density co‐occurring invertebrate group. These results highlight stoichiometric patterns of development and interspecific variation in a diverse group of amphibians while providing critical baseline information for elucidating the role of anurans in wetland nutrient dynamics.

The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) is currently under review for listing as Threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. A more thorough understanding of its year-round ecology is necessary to recover populations. Overwintering ecology is poorly understood, but underground refugia are thought to be an important winter habitat requirement. Therefore, we radio-tracked 14 Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes from October 2018 to February 2019 in a Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) dominated landscape in southwest Georgia, USA, to investigate overwinter habitat and refugium selection. Within home ranges, snakes used Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridana) burrows (proportion of snakes that selected for this refugium: 0.50, proportion of refugia available per hectare: 0.02, P = 1.0), Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) burrows (0.36, 0.11, P = 0.42), and stump holes (0.29, 0.11, P = 0.18) in proportion to availability. Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake use of Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows approached statistical significance for selection (0.79, 0.23, P = 0.057), while snakes avoided tip-ups (0.14, 0.09, P = 0.013) and large down woody debris (0.00, 0.45, P < 0.001). Snakes used all land cover types in proportion to availability except closed-canopy hardwood forests and non-forested land cover types (agricultural fields and wetlands), which were avoided. Poorly drained soils were avoided but all other soil classes were used in proportion to availability. Management to provide overwintering habitat for Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes should focus on maintaining open-canopy upland forests on well-drained soils with a range of refugium types. If Gopher Tortoise or other animal burrows are not present, retention of pine stumps or limits on their harvest should be considered.

Many sympatric species use Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) burrows as refugia from predators, extreme temperatures, and fire. As part of an ongoing project involving trail-camera monitoring at Gopher Tortoise burrows, we observed a Sciurus niger (Eastern Fox Squirrel) sheltering in an occupied burrow twice in a single day. Eastern Fox Squirrels primarily forage on the ground, and Gopher Tortoise burrows likely offer refuge from avian predators but could expose Eastern Fox Squirrels to increased predation risk from mammalian and reptilian predators. Alternatively, the squirrel may have been seeking refuge from higher-than-average temperatures. Our observation further demonstrates the importance of Gopher Tortoise burrows to vertebrate fauna in the southeastern United States.

s are listed alphabetically by first author’s last name. Presenting author is denoted with an asterisk. EFFECTS OF FOREST MANAGEMENT ON SNAKE FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY. Connor S. Adams*, Christopher M. Schalk, Daniel Saenz Stephen F. Austin State University; USFS Southern Research Station. Accelerated human activity is a major contributing factor to global land-use change that affects the structure and function of biological diversity. For example, forest management is a form of land-use that is commonly applied to forested landscapes throughout the southeastern United States. However, knowledge of how this land-use drives community assembly is limited. Understanding the underlying mechanisms that affect assembly processes and result in novel communities is increasingly important. In addition, functional approaches can provide a better understanding of these mechanisms that drive habitat changes and species assemblages, and can be utilized to make comparisons between varied management regimes. Here we present results on the functional organization of snake communities in the context of their feeding ecology, foraging mode, and habitat use at two shortleaf pine sites under different management regimes (high-frequency [A] vs. low-frequency [B]). We captured snakes from May-July in 2018 and 2019 using box traps with drift fences, and measured 7 habitat variables at each trap. We observed differences in species richness and relative abundance between sites. Analyzing metrics of functional diversity from the community-weighted means of measured traits, we found greater functional richness, but lower functional divergence and evenness between species at site A. Furthermore, we observed that increased functional dispersion at site A was linked to greater variation in functional traits in terms of foraging mode and habitat use. Our results imply that forest management regulates the assembly of snake communities, and the lack thereof may result in the loss of rare, functionally distinct species. NATIVE AND INVASIVE LEAF LITTER CAUSES DIFFERENTIAL BEHAVIORAL CHANGES IN A LARVAL ANURAN. Cory K. Adams* and Daniel Saenz. Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Nacogdoches, TX 75965. [cory.k.adams@usda.gov] Recent studies have demonstrated that Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) leaf litter can cause changes in behavior in anuran larvae by causing drastic changes in water chemistry. These changes are attributed to rapid leaf decomposition causing a microbial bloom, which causes a high biological oxygen demand. This reduction in oxygen impacts the behavior of tadpoles, forcing them to increase surfacing frequency to obtain aerial oxygen. It is unclear if the decomposition of native tree species leaf litter will have a similar effect on water chemistry and tadpole behavior. To test this, we compared the sub lethal effects of invasive Chinese tallow leaf litter to seven native tree species leaf litter. We exposed Bronze frog larvae (Lithobates clamitans) to three concentrations (0.15g/L, 0.25g/L and 1.0g/L) of Chinese tallow leaf litter and to one concentration (1.0g/L) of 7 native tree species leaf litter and measured water chemistry and tadpole behavior. We found significant differences in water chemistry between the species of leaf litter. Tadpoles exposed to red maple, Chinese tallow and sweetgum treatments had the highest frequency of air-gulping behavior; while tadpoles exposed to loblolly pine and water oak leaf litter made the fewest trips to the water’s surface. While some species of native plants leaf litter had little effect on water chemistry, other species caused drastic changes in dissolved oxygen which impacted tadpole behavior. More work needs to be done to understand the impact native and invasive plants have on water quality and their effects on wildlife. MEDITERRANEAN HOUSE GECKOS EXPLOIT NOVEL RESOURCES IN A RECIPIENT LIZARD ASSEMBLAGE. John M. Arnett*, Connor Adams, Carmen G. Montaña, Christopher M. Schalk Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX; Department of Biology, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX. [jmarnett97@gmail.com] The ecological niche of a species represents the environmental conditions needed for an individual to replace itself and is comprised of multiple resource axes including use of habitat, food, and time. The Mediterranean House Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) has been introduced in urban areas across Texas, yet little is known about their resource use relative to the native recipient lizard assemblages. We examined patterns of resource use of H. turcicus and native lizards (Green Anole [Anolis carolinensis], Little Brown Skink [Scincella lateralis], and Fivelined Skink [Plestiodon fasciatus]) across their habitat, dietary, and isotopic niche dimensions as well as their functional traits. We captured lizards during surveys across Stephen F. Austin State University’s campus in Summer 2019. Each time a lizard was captured, we measured microhabitat variables. To quantify their dietary and isotopic niches, we conducted stomach content and stable isotope analysis. Compared to the native lizards, we found that H. turcicus utilized higher perches with lower temperature and relative humidity. The dietary niche breadth of H. turcicus was broader and exhibited low overlap with native lizards. The isotopic niche of H. turcicus not only encompassed the native lizards, but occupied niche space not used by the native species. It appears that the establishment of H. turcicus was facilitated by their ability to exploit novel resources in areas where they have been introduced. While it suggests that native lizards and H. turcicus are not sharing the same resources, the ecological consequences on the broader community is not known and should be investigated. CHIGGER INFESTED AMPHIBIANS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN PARC REGION. Kristin A. Bakkegard*. Samford University. [kbakkega@samford.edu] Chiggers are the parasitic larval form of mites which infest all terrestrial vertebrates. In amphibians, chiggers burrow in and under the skin and have the potential of harming the infested animal through mechanical damage to skin and limbs, decreased reproductive success, or by introducing a pathogen. The two genera of chiggers that infect amphibians, Hannemania (an amphibian specialist) and Eutrombicula (a vertebrate generalist) are found in the United States, Mexico, Central and South America. This review will concentrate on chigger infested amphibians in the Southeastern PARC region (AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN). Six species of chigger mite in two genera have infested 10 species in four genera and three families of anuran and 20 species in six genera and two families of caudate. All states in this region have at least one report of an infested amphibian except for KY, MS and SC. This is most likely due to underreporting of infestations rather than the absence of chiggers in those states. The most commonly reported species of chigger mite in the Southeastern PARC region is Hannemania dunni. In comparison, at least 10 species of chigger mite have infested 29 species in eight genera and four families of anuran and 26 species in six genera and two families of caudate across 20 of the 50 states. We join others in encouraging the study of chigger mites and the amphibians they infest to determine the risk they pose to the survival of species and populations. CAN NATURAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS HELP ANSWER CONSERVATION QUESTIONS? A CASE STUDY IN GOPHER FROGS (LITHOBATES CAPITO). Charlotte Benedict*, Malorie Hayes, James Godwin 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, AL 36830; Alabama Natural Heritage Program, AU Museum of Natural History. In the 1990s, a collection of two putative Gopher Frogs was made at Arnold Air Force Base (AFB) in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Morphological examination strongly suggests these are Gopher Frogs (Lithobates capito) of a relict population, but the closely related Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus) is an alternative taxonomic possibility. Recent progress has been made in recovering useful genetic information from wet collections using high-throughput sequencing methods. With the presence of formalin-fixed specimens as well as comparative material from across the range of the two species, we designed a three-step method to determine the identity of this unusual population. We first demonstrate a test in formalin-fixed species of Lithobates clamitans and L. sphenocephalus for quantity and quality of DNA. We then present the results of DNA extraction from formalinand ethanol-fixed specimens of Gopher Frog. Finally, we present the methods by which the identity of the Arnold AFB frogs will be determined, using UltraConserved Elements (UCEs). USING EDNA TO TEST WHETHER CUBAN TREE FROGS (OSTEOPILUS SEPTENTRIONALIS) CAN AMPLIFY THE AMPHIBIAN PATHOGEN PERKINSEA. Matthew Blow*, Matthew Atkinson, and Anna Savage University of Central Florida, Department of Biology, 4110 Libra Dr, Orlando, Florida 32816, United States of America. [mattblow5@knights.ucf.edu] While most of the disease-related declines in amphibians involve chytridiomycosis and Ranavirus, another pathogen, amphibian Perkinsea, has been documented causing mortality and die-offs in larval amphibians in the southeastern United States. Amphibian Perkinsea has been relatively understudied and how this pathogen replicates within different host species is largely unknown. One of the known hosts, the invasive Cuban tree frog species Osteopilus septentrionalis, can be infected with Perkinsea without exhibiting mortality or an observable decrease in fitness. Thus, we aimed to test whether O. septentrionalis may be serving as an amplification host for Perkinsea, where the presence of a host species increases the overall abundance of a pathogen in a community. We collected water samples from containers housing Perkinsea-infected and uninfected animals and ext

Human demand for food, fiber, and space is accelerating the rate of change of land cover and land use. Much of the world now consists of a matrix of natural forests, managed forests, agricultural cropland, and urbanized plots. Expansion of domestic energy production efforts in the United States is one driver predicted to influence future land-use and land management practices across large spatial scales. Favorable growing conditions make the southeastern United States an ideal location for producing a large portion of the country's renewable bioenergy. We investigated patterns of bat occurrence in two bioenergy feedstocks commonly grown in this region (corn, Zea mays, and pine, Pinus taeda and P. elliottii). We also evaluated potential impacts of the three major pathways of woody biomass extraction (residue removal following clearcut harvest, short-rotation energy plantations, and mid-rotation forest thinning) to bat occurrence through a priori land-use contrasts. We acoustically sampled bat vocalizations at 84 sites in the Southeastern Plains and Southern Coastal Plains of the southeastern United States across three years. We found that mid-rotation thinning resulted in positive effects on bat occurrence, and potential conversion of unmanaged (reference) forest to managed forest for timber and/or bioenergy harvest resulted in negative effects on bat occurrence when effects were averaged across all species. The effects of short-rotation energy plantations, removal of logging residues from plantation clearcuts, and corn were equivocal for all bat species examined. Our results suggest that accelerated production of biomass for energy production through either corn or intensively managed pine forests is not likely to have an adverse effect on bat communities, so long as existing older unmanaged forests are not converted to managed bioenergy or timber plantations. Beyond bioenergy crop production, mid-rotation thinning of even-aged pine stands intended for timber production, increases to the duration of plantation rotations to promote older forest stands, arranging forest stands and crop fields to maximize edge habitat, and maintaining unmanaged forests could benefit bat communities by augmenting roosting and foraging opportunities.

Abstract. Barbour's map turtle (Graptemys barbouri) is the species of map turtle with the highest degree of sexual dimorphism, with females attaining larger body sizes and having much greater head widths than males. Accordingly, females and males also feed on different riverine prey, with females historically feeding on native gastropods and bivalves and males predominantly feeding on soft-bodied macroinvertebrates. Here, we report on a diet shift in female Barbour's map turtle from native prey to an invasive mollusk, the Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea), in southwestern Georgia.

In the fire maintained longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem, underground refugia such as gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows and stump holes may be important for animals to escape fire and extreme temperatures. Despite being documented as refugia for several species of concern including the black pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi) and eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), longleaf pine stumps are commonly removed and harvested for rosin, eliminating associated underground habitats. We used trail cameras to examine the use of stump holes by vertebrates from September 2018 - May 2019. Each of 35 stump holes was paired with a nearby gopher tortoise burrow, a documented high value refugium type, to serve as a reference. We used Shannon Diversity Index to investigate species diversity differences and non-metric multidimensional scaling to investigate species composition differences between stump holes and tortoise burrows. We developed multi-season occupancy models to investigate reptile, amphibian, bird, and small mammal occupancy differences between tortoise burrows and stump holes. We documented 13 taxa unique to stump holes, 14 taxa unique to tortoise burrows, and 26 shared taxa. Although overall species diversity was similar between tortoise burrows and stump holes, species composition differed, with more reptile species associated with stump holes and more bird species associated with gopher tortoise burrows. Reptile, amphibian, bird, and small mammal occupancy was similar between stump holes and tortoise burrows and among stumps of varying decay states. Our research underscores the collective importance of tortoise burrows and stump holes as refugia and foraging sites for wildlife in the longleaf pine ecosystem. Additionally, our study demonstrates the importance of developing best management practices for stump removal such as retaining a proportion of stumps of different decay classes.