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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].

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Understanding the impacts of disturbances in forest ecosystems is essential for long-term biodiversity conservation. Many studies have evaluated wildlife responses to various disturbances but most generally do not use changes in microclimate features or microhabitat structure to explain these responses. We examined lizard responses to two common forest management practices (prescribed burning and thinning) in pine-hardwood forests of the Bankhead National Forest, Alabama, USA. Over 4 years, we captured 719 individual lizards representing seven species. Lizards exhibited species-specific responses to forest management: eastern fence lizard (Scelopows undulatus) captures were positively associated with an increasing forest disturbance gradient and were greatest in thin with burn treatments, whereas little brown skink [Scincella lateralis) captures were positively associated with increasing litter depth and were greatest in control sites during the first year posttreatment. Green anole [Anolis carolinensis) captures increased in forest stands with concomitant increases in air temperature, whereas common five-lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) captures were related to coarse woody debris cover during posttreatment sampling. We were unable to detect a treatment response or microhabitat/microclimate associations for broad-headed skinks [Plestiodon laticeps). Through an information-theoretic approach, we were able to identify treatment effects along with changes in microclimate and microhabitat features potentially responsible for driving responses of southeastern lizard species to forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We evaluated the response of amphibians and reptiles to two levels of prescribed burning and three levels of thinning using a field experiment consisting of a before–after, control-impact, and factorial complete block design over a four year period in the William B. Bankhead National Forest located in northwestern Alabama. We captured 2643 individuals representing 47 species (20 amphibians and 27 reptiles) during 3132 trap nights. Pre-treatment captures varied widely for both amphibians and reptiles among the stands designated for management, which was likely due to forest structural changes caused by tree mortality resulting from Southern Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) infestations. Within each amphibian and reptile species assemblage, we observed species-specific associations with specific treatments and environmental characteristics. In regards to individual species responses, Eastern Fence Lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) increased in thin-with-burn treatments and Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis) tended to increase in all thinned stands. North American Racers (Coluber constrictor) increased in thin-only plots primarily during the second post-treatment year. Mississippi Slimy Salamander (Plethodon mississippi) captures tended to decrease in all treatment stands throughout the study period, which may been due to either drier environmental conditions during post-treatment sampling or natural population cycling. Pool-breeding amphibian captures were more likely related to the hydroperiod of aquatic breeding environments within 290m of survey locations rather than forest treatments. Our results illustrate that forest restoration through tree thinning can positively influence certain reptile species with limited impacts on amphibians in upland, pine-dominated forests of northern Alabama. However, as our forest stands are scheduled to be burned every 3–5years, continued monitoring is necessary to understand the impacts of repeated disturbances. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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]