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Antagonistic interactions between insects and amphibians are the subject of many scientific articles, mostly concerning amphibian predation on insect, but many fewer examples exist of the opposite situation. In this article we review available information from the literature and add our own observations collected during amphibian pitfall trap monitoring in 2012–2016 in Western Poland, as well as discuss potential conservation implications of observed behavior. We identified a total of 29 cases involving 94 individual ants attacking four species of Anura, Rana temporaria, Pelophylax esculentus complex, Bufo bufo, and Pelobates fuscus, and biting their back, cloaca, armpits, or hind legs. Bites were inflicted by three ant species: Myrmica rubra, Lasius fuliginosus, and Formica polyctena. The number of ants found on an amphibian was positively and significantly correlated with its body length. To date, direct damage by ants on amphibians was reported mainly from the tropics in general predation accident. However, as we document here, it is probably a more common phenomenon, especially in some ecological traps or during pitfall trapping, which is a common method to mitigate road mortality of frogs and toads.

ABSTRACT The use of game cameras by wildlife biologists and managers to survey wildlife, particularly medium- and large-bodied mammals, has increased dramatically. Previous attempts to survey small mammals and ectotherms have had limited detection success or were focused solely on a single species. We describe the Adapted-Hunt Drift Fence Technique (AHDriFT), which combines commercially available game cameras and traditional drift fences to survey reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. Across 4,502 trap-nights at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, USA (Jun 2014 to Jun 2015), we recorded images for 2,523 unique vertebrate detections (2% unidentifiable) averaging 0.56 unique triggers/night. Using AHDriFT enables long-duration surveys with high detectability while minimizing observer time. Guide-boards increased terrestrial vertebrate image capture at minimal cost. During 1 year of usage, no mortality was documented using this camera-trap system and field time was reduced by 95%, requiring only monthly visits of approximately 3 hr for 9 fence arrays to download images from the camera systems, compared with pitfall or funnel traps that require at least daily monitoring. © 2017 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT White-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) have been marked with various tags for a wide variety of applications, such as longitudinal, movement, disease, and mark-recapture studies. Tag persistence is critical to all these applications. We used nest survival models in Program MARK to estimate tag retention from 1) 832 free-range white-tailed deer marked with large plastic ear tags in both ears and Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags in the leg and at the base of the ear, and 2) 412 free-range deer marked with metal ear tags in both ears, captured in Texas, USA, 1997-2007. We calculated tag retention from 401 captive deer marked with 2 types of Electronic Identification (EID) ear tags (button or combi) in one ear and 36 captive deer marked with small plastic ear tags in one ear. Annual retention rates were greatest for button EID tags (0.992; 0.983-0.998), combi EID tags (0.979; 0.953-0.996), small plastic ear tags (0.978; 0.965-0.995), and large plastic ear tags (0.958; 0.950-0.965). Passive integrated transponder tags at the base of the ear (0.923; 0.910-0.935) and metal tags (0.909; 0.891-0.924) had fair retention rates. Passive integrated transponder tags placed in the leg (0.779; 0.758-0.800) had the lowest retention rate. Although many factors influence tag selection, EID tags and both small and large plastic tags demonstrate the greatest annual retention rates of both captive and free-range, marked deer. © 2017 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fort Sage Drift Fence is one of the largest pre-Contact rock features known in the Great Basin, and appears to date between 3700 and 1000 cal b.p. When Pendleton and Thomas (1983) first recorded the 2 km long complex, they were impressed by its sheer size and the amount of labor required to build it. This led them to hypothesize that it must have been constructed, maintained, and used by specialized groups associated with a centralized, village-based settlement system--a system that was not recognized in the archaeological record at that time. Their hypothesis turned out to be quite insightful, as subsequent analyses of faunal remains and settlement pattern data have documented the rise of logistical hunting organization linked to higher levels of settlement stability between about 4500 and 1000 cal b.p. throughout much of the Great Basin. Although Pendleton and Thomas' (1983) proposal has been borne out on a general, interregional level, it has never been evaluated with local archaeological data. This monograph remedies this situation through reporting the excavation findings from a nearby, contemporaneous house-pit village site. These findings allow us to place the drift fence within its larger settlement context, and provide additional archaeological support for the original Pendleton-Thomas hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike avifauna, which have been inventoried and monitored for decades at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge, OK, herpetofauna have had few targeted inventories on the refuge. Therefore, in 2010 we established 6 permanent drift fence arrays to expand the current knowledge on the terrestrial herpetofauna present within the refuge. The arrays were in operation for a total of 105 nights over 5 years (2010-2014), capturing 1122 vertebrates including 12 anuran, 1 salamander, 13 snake, 5 lizard, and 2 turtle species. The surveys resulted in the discovery of 5 new amphibian species as well as a new mammal species on the refuge. By placing arrays across 3 different habitat types, we were able to compare and determine that there were differences in species diversity and relative abundance across those habitats. The results have shown the richness of herpetofauna in the area has been underestimated. The study also indicates that a preserve established for the conservation of one particular species group (waterfowl and neotropical migratory birds) can have appreciable diversity of another vertebrate group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The planning of snow fence constructions in alpine terrain is site-specific and lacks published guidelines. A methodology of snow drift analysis for the evaluation of snow drift constructions is presented. The background to the methodology are recent findings of time series of spatial snow depth maps obtained by laser scanning over a period of several years, where snow accumulation patterns over a whole winter season were similar in different years of observation. It could be concluded that the knowledge of spatial snow distribution at annual peak accumulation provides a reliable basis for the planning of drift constructions. It was hypothesized that snow accumulation patterns at a new project site could be assessed using a combination of snow mapping via terrestrial laser scanning and high resolution numerical wind field modelling. Modelling results localized areas of large vertical and horizontal wind speeds, which coincide with extrema of wind stress on the snowpack surface. TLS surface maps provided the spatial snow depth distribution, and erosional and depositional zones were apparent. Insufficiencies in fence functioning at the study site were determined and adaptations to fence constructions using existing recommendations could be applied. The functionality of the fences was significantly improved using the presented methodology, so it is recommended that future construction projects consider a similar site evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the snowdrifts caused by lightweight fences along the lines on the flatland through the computational fluid dynamics method. The characteristic ambient flows around the solid fences and the porous fences with varied heights and bottom wind gaps are simulated in the numerical model, and the working mechanism of 'interception' and 'scouring' of the lightweight fences are analyzed. Based on the friction velocities near the ground, two sets of criteria are proposed to evaluate the deposition and erosion effects of different fences. According to flow separation and reattachment, the simplified relationships between the most likely positions for snow accumulations and fence parameters are developed. The study indicates that the capabilities for snow interception by the solid fence without wind gap and the distance from which to the second snow coverage center both increase with the fence height. Furthermore, it is found that the scouring range for snow surface increases significantly with the size of wind gap, and the snow accumulation rate on the leeward side decreases with the increasing fence porosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pitfall traps are widely used by researchers to survey a variety of terrestrial taxa. To test a method for improving the results of pitfall traps, we built a Y-shaped drift fence with six pitfall traps on each arm. We improved the pitfall traps by staking four pieces of aluminum flashing around each of the traps to increase their effective area. For experimental purposes, we used the aluminum flashing wings every other day. Traps without flashing caught a total of 395 reptiles and amphibians representing 15 species, and traps with the flashing caught a total of 624 reptiles and amphibians representing 20 species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corridors are often considered to promote dispersal between habitat patches. In this paper, we study whether or not corridors induce colonisation of nunataks (ice-free areas in glacier surroundings) by promoting dispersal from lowland to the nunataks. On outlet glaciers, debris originating from nunataks forms the so-called medial moraines that stretch from the nunataks down-glacier to the lowland, forming corridors of debris on the glacier. Aerial dispersal was determined with yellow sticky traps on the moraines, bare glacier and glacier foreland. Dipterans were sampled in pitfall traps on the nunataks. Flying insects that were present on the vegetated glacier foreland belonged to five orders, that is, Diptera, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Trichoptera. On the glacier and medial moraines, however, mainly dipterans were present, with the majority of individuals found on the moraines. Hoverflies (Syrphidae) were abundant on the moraines and on the edges of nunataks close to the moraines, but were not present on the vegetated foreland. The origin of the hoverflies is thus not the nunataks and not the lowland. Rather, they are brought in by air currents towards the glacier, where they aggregate on a land type where they have a chance of survival, although it is not habitable. Thus, we conclude that the medial moraines do not function as regular corridors but as drift fences that direct the dispersal towards the adjacent land types, that is, the nunataks and the glacier foreland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 38 drift-fence arrays were sampled in Big Bend Wildlife Management Area (BBWMA), Taylor and Dixie counties, Florida, to assess the amphibian and reptile species composition within basin marsh, depression marsh, dome swamp, mesic flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, wet flatwoods, hydric hammock, maritime hammock, mesic hammock, xeric hammock, sandhill, tidal marsh, upland hardwood forest, and ruderal (former sandhill and scrub in the process of being restored). There were 3,003 captures of 29 amphibian species and 943 captures of 37 reptile species during the 2009-2010 drift-Jenee survey. This has been the first survey for portions of BBWMA in more than 16 yr. There were six rare species (tracked by Florida Natural Areas Inventory) documented during this sampling effort: Crotalus adamanteus (eastern diamondback rattlesnake), Lampropeltis getula (eastern kingsnake), Gopherus polyphemus (gopher tortoise), Lithobates capito (gopher frog), Nerodia clarkii (gulf saltmarsh snake), and Amphiuma pholeter (one toed amphiuma). No exotic amphibian or reptile species was encountered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A herpetofaunal inventory and distribution study was conducted at the Inhotim Institute in Brumadinho Municipality (State of Minas Gerais, Southeastern Brazil). The Inhotim Institute is located in a transition area between the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes, and the study site encompasses natural forest fragments (secondary forest) and landscaped areas with buildings and gardens representing human occupancy. Comparison between these habitats provides a test as to whether human habitats designed to be interwoven with small tracts of wild habitat are sufficient to maintain a broad array of native species, as proposed in the concept known as ''reconciliation ecology." We conducted field work during 7 d per month from January 2008 to January 2009, except for December 2008. We used pitfall traps with drift fences, visual and auditory surveys, and random records and capture by persons not directly involved in the study in both forest and anthropogenic habitats. We recorded 65 species which included 32 amphibians and 33 reptiles. Three anurans and one lizard were introduced species (probably from the transport of plants from other states for landscaping) and were excluded from our analyses. Most species recorded have a wide geographicdistribution and generalist habits. Herpetofaunal species richness was greater in anthropogenic areas,possibly due to the generalist habits of most species and because such areas have a greater availability of suitable breeding habitats for amphibians. The sampling methods used proved to be complementary, with no single method capturing all species. The number of species recorded was high compared to other Brazilian sites, suggesting that the reconciliation ecology approach might be an effective conservation strategy for herpetofauna at the Inhotim Institute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines reptiles and amphibians from Floresta Nacional do Trair ão (FLONA do Trair ão) in the southwestern part of Pará, Brazil. The study uses four different methods including time-constrained visual searching (TCVS), pitfall traps with drift fence (PT), and collections made by others (CMO). The study notes that Drymobius rhombifer (Colubridae) was recorded in the state for the first time and that FLONA do Trair ão should be considered essential in the maintenance of central Amazonian herpetofauna populations.

Understanding vertebrate habitat relationships is important to promote management strategies for the longterm conservation of many species. Using a modified drift fence method, we sampled reptiles and compared habitat variables within the William B. Bankhead National Forest (BNF) in Alabama, U.S.A from April 2005 to June 2006. We captured 226 individual reptiles representing 19 species during 564 total trap nights. We used canonical correspondence analysis to examine habitat associations for the reptiles sampled and we detected a distinct habitat gradient ranging from sites with greater litter depth and percent canopy cover to more open sites with greater woody, herbaceous, and coarse woody debris (CWD) coverage, and CWD volume. Little brown skinks Scincella lateralis and eastern worm snakes Carphophis a. amoenus were associated with sites with greater litter depth and canopy cover, whereas eastern fence lizards Sceloporus undulatus, copperheads Agkistrodon contortrix, and gray ratsnakes Pantherophis spiloides were associated with sites possessing greater CWD coverage and volume. We found that disturbances due to the southern pine beetle Dendroctonus frontalis were likely important for influencing reptile distributions through the creation of canopy gaps and fallen coarse woody debris. Compared to other studies, our modified drift-fence trap technique was successful for sampling larger snake species (66 snakes in 564 trap nights). We have also provided detailed schematics for constructing drift fence array and box traps used in this study [Current Zoology 56 (4):411-420, 2010]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small vertebrate community of a mixed bottomland habitat associated with a marsh in Baldwin and Wilkinson Counties, central Georgia, was sampled from July 2003 to February 2004. This survey was conducted using terrestrial drift fences with pitfall and double-ended funnel traps. Forty-three species were captured, including 17 amphibians, 16 reptiles, and 10 mammals. Amphibians were the most abundant animals captured and Bufo terrestris was the most abundant species, accounting for nearly half of the total captures. Species richness and Simpson's diversity were calculated for the sampled community. Relationships between capture rates and environmental factors were analyzed, and the effectiveness of the two trap types used to sample varying organisms was examined. Significant correlations were found between temperature, rainfall, and the capture rates of reptiles and amphibians. Statistically significant differences were found between the capture effectiveness of funnel and pitfall traps. Of note is the presence at the site of the spotted turtle, Clemmys guttata, as this species is listed as being "of special consideration" by the state of Georgia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have examined the spatial and temporal migration patterns of snakes to and from active-season habitats. We conducted a year-long population-level analysis of cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus migration patterns by monitoring snakes entering and leaving a Carolina bay wetland that was encircled by a continuous terrestrial drift fence. Cottonmouths used the wetland during the active season and left the bay in the fall to overwinter in other habitats. Adults and juveniles did not differ in time of arrival at the bay but juveniles left the bay earlier than adults. Spatially, captures of adult cottonmouths entering and leaving the bay were distributed non-randomly, with capture peaks corresponding to the directions to the nearest permanent aquatic habitats. Juveniles' immigration patterns in the spring were biased in the same directions as those of the adults, but they left non-directionally in the fall. This suggests that neonates do not rely on adult scent trailing to locate hibernacula, and that in a region with moderate winter temperatures, suitable overwintering sites may not be a limited resource. Additionally, our study demonstrates that cottonmouths make extensive use of upland habitats and underscores the importance of both critical upland habitat and forested corridors between wetlands and hibernacula for the conservation of wetlands herpetofauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sand drift and sand dune movements are typical logistic problems facing civilian and industrial cities in arid and semiarid countries like Saudi Arabia. Some of these countries are considered active when it comes to sand drift and sand dune movement, due to the high annual sand drift rate. Urban cities have extensive facilities in the middle of these active areas that require good protection and innovative solutions to this problem. This paper briefly reviews sand movement control measures and highlights sand drift fence design guidelines for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which evaluated the efficacy of drift fences to capture Lower Keys marsh rabbits for wildlife research. The Lower Keys marsh rabbit were listed as federally endangered in 1990. The marsh rabbit was found in patchy freshwater wetlands, usually dominated by sawgrass, which occurred in the interior of some keys. The drift fences were constructed from 7.6 m x 0.3 m wire netting, at each end of the fence section, 0.5-m lengths of 1.3-cm rebar with self- locking cable ties was attached to provide vertical support. Both sides of the traps were reinforced with 0.6-cm plywood and doors with 0.6-cm hardware cloth to prevent raccoons from harassing trapped animals. The drift fences were set up in a variety of patterns depending on the Vegetation structure in a given habitat patch, the most common pattern was an array of 4 fence lines to form an X. In 182 drift-fence nights 14 marsh rabbits were captured. Though the trap success was low, the drift fences allowed the researchers to capture marsh rabbits in areas where conventional trapping had been unsuccessful and facilitated capture in open areas where conventional methods were unfeasible.

Corridors connect otherwise isolated habitat patches and can direct movement of animals among such patches. In eight experimental landscapes, we tested two hypotheses of how corridors might affect dispersal behavior. The Traditional Corridor hypothesis posits that animals preferentially leave patches via corridors, following them into adjacent patches. The Drift Fence hypothesis posits that animals dispersing through matrix habitat are diverted into patches with corridors because they follow corridors when encountered. House flies ( Musca domestica L.), a species that prefers the habitat of our patches and corridors, were released in a central patch (100×100 m) and recaptured in peripheral patches that were or were not connected by a corridor. Flies were captured more frequently in connected than unconnected patches, thereby supporting the Traditional Corridor hypothesis. The Drift Fence hypothesis was also supported, as flies were captured more frequently in unconnected patches with blind (dead end) corridors than in unconnected patches of equal area without blind corridors. A second experiment tested whether these results might be dependent on the type of patch-matrix boundary encountered by dispersing flies and whether edge-following behavior might be the mechanism underlying the observed corridor effect in the first experiment. We recorded dispersal patterns of flies released along forest edges with dense undergrowth in the forest (“closed” edges) and along edges with little forest understory (“open” edges). Flies were less likely to cross and more likely to follow closed edges than open edges, indicating that when patch and corridor edges are pronounced, edge-following behavior of flies may direct them along corridors into connected patches. Because edges in the first experiment were open, these results also suggest that corridor effects for flies in that experiment would have been even stronger if the edges around the source patches and corridors had been more closed. Taken together, our results suggest that corridors can affect dispersal of organisms in unappreciated ways (i.e., as drift fences) and that edge type can alter dispersal behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]