| A herpetological field survey was conducted during the summers of 2003 and 2004 on the Upper Delta Wildlife Management Area located in Mobile and Baldwin Counties, Alabama. Sampling techniques included minnow traps, dip-nets, hand captures, visual surveys, cryptozoan boards, anuran vocalizations, and PVC refugia (for treefrogs). In 2003, a total of 14 species of amphibians were encountered (N = 1441). Most frequently encountered were bronze frogs, bullfrogs, bird-voiced tree frogs, and gray treefrogs. In 2003, a total of 24 species of reptiles were encountered (N = 372): 7 turtles, 1 crocodilian, 4 lizards, and 12 snakes. Most frequently recorded were ground skinks, five-lined skinks, ribbon snakes, cottonmouths, and banded water snakes. Four species were captured in 2004 that were not encountered in 2003. In a complimentary study, the effects that clear-cut logging had on the amphibians and reptiles of the Delta were documented. Specifically, sampling took place across a clear-cut gradient to test the "edge effect" hypothesis. To capture herpetofauna, sampling arrays were erected that consisted of drift fences with attached funnel traps, PVC refugia, and hand captures in the direct vicinity of the arrays. The data did not demonstrate an "edge effect" for the overall herpetofauna of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. |
