Effects of upland forest management on small isolated wetland herpetofauna in the coastal plain of South Carolina

Little is known about the contribution of small isolated wetlands to herpetofaunal abundance and diversity in managed forests or the effects of upland silviculture on these communities. In the first chapter I characterized herpetofaunal communities at five small isolated wetlands within an intensively managed forest of the South Carolina Coastal Plain. I captured 9,186 individuals and 56 species of herpetofauna from the five wetlands between 1996--1998. Although richness and community composition were similar at the five sites, I found significant differences in herpetofaunal abundance and diversity among wetlands. These differences did not vary with wetland size, but were correlated with environmental and habitat attributes of the wetlands and surrounding uplands. Small isolated wetlands are more important contributors to herpetofaunal diversity in Coastal Plain managed forests than is implied by their size. In the second chapter, I also show that these habitats are important not only for aquatic and semi-aquatic herpetofauna, but also for terrestrial species such as worm snakes that prefer the moist but unsaturated ecotone between wetlands and upland stands.; In the third chapter I present results of an experiment measuring responses of herpetofauna at the five wetland sites to upland silviculture. Herpetofauna were sampled at each site for 1 year before and 2 years after the following treatments were applied to the surrounding upland stands: (1) control, (2) clearcutting, and (3) clearcutting followed by mechanical site preparation. I did not detect any treatment-related changes in the overall richness, abundance, or community similarity of herpetofaunal communities at the wetlands. However, among groups, turtles and snakes appeared to be less abundant adjacent to treated stands 6 months after treatment, but not after 1.5 years. Fifteen of the 17 species of herpetofauna with ≥30 captures showed no response to treatments. Bronze frogs appeared to be more abundant 1.5 years after clearcutting and mechanical site preparation. In contrast, site preparation appeared to reduce the abundance of black racers 6 months after treatment. This study indicates that, in the short term at least, many species of isolated wetland herpetofauna in the southeastern Coastal Plain may tolerate disturbance in adjacent upland stands.