Breaking ground: Quantitative fossorial herpetofaunal ecology in South Africa

Maritz, Bryan; Alexander, Graham J.

doi:10.1080/21564574.2009.9635575

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Unfortunately, this group includes many small‐range species, for example Leptopelis natalensis and Acontias plumbeus . Thus, although they are difficult to study (Maritz & Alexander, ), fossorial species warrant monitoring, especially because they are poorly known (Böhm et al ., ). Vegetation‐dwelling amphibians should also be monitored.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amphibian and reptile communities and functional groups over a land‐use gradient in a coastal tropical forest landscape of high richness and endemicity

Trimble

Aarde

2014

Animal Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Information on the response of herpetofauna to different land uses is limited though important for land-use planning to support conservation in human-modified landscapes. Though transformation is dogmatically associated with extinction, species respond idiosyncratically to land-use change, and persistence of species in habitat fragments may depend on careful management of the human-modified matrix. We sampled herpetofauna over a vegetation-type gradient representative of regional land uses (old-growth forest, degraded forest, acacia woodland (i.e. new-growth forest), eucalyptus plantation, and sugar cane cultivation) in the forest belt skirting the southeastern coast of Africa, part of a biodiversity hotspot hosting many endemic herpetofaunal species in a highly transformed landscape. We categorized species into 1 Author Contributions: MJT and RJvA designed the study. MJT carried out the project, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript with input from RJvA, who supervised the study.2 trait-derived functional groups, and assessed abundance and richness of groups and compared community metrics along the gradient. We further assessed the capacity of environmental variables to predict richness and abundance. Overall, old-growth forest harbored the highest richness and abundance, and frogs and reptiles responded similarly to the gradient. Richness was low in cultivation and, surprisingly, in degraded forest but substantial in acacia woodland and plantation. Composition differed between natural vegetation types (forest, degraded forest) and anthropogenic types (plantation, cultivation), while acacia woodland grouped with the latter for frogs and the former for reptiles. Functional group richness eroded along the gradient, a pattern driven by sensitivity of fossorial/ground-dependent frogs (F2) and reptiles (R2) and vegetationdwelling frogs (F4) to habitat change. Variables describing temperature, cover, and soil were good predictors of frog abundance, particularly of functional groups, but not for reptiles.Conserving forest and preventing degradation is important for forest herpetofaunal conservation, restoration and plantations have intermediate value, and cultivation is least beneficial. Our study demonstrates the utility of function-related assessments, beyond traditional metrics alone, for understanding community responses to transformation. Particularly, fossorial/ground-dependent frogs and reptiles and vegetation-dwelling frogs should be closely monitored.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amphibian and reptile communities and functional groups over a land‐use gradient in a coastal tropical forest landscape of high richness and endemicity

Trimble

Aarde

2014

Animal Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Only two eastern sand skinks were considered to have possibly succumbed to particulate smoke inhalation, as carbon particles were present in their airways. The association of most collected specimens with microhabitats rich in leaf litter follow the fine-scale habitat selection described by Measey (2006) as well as Maritz and Alexander (2008). When considering the histopathological manifestation of detrital combustion on species sheltering in substrate, especially in Fire C, the advective transportation of heated gas products into underlying soil layers as described in Massman et al (2010) may explain the prevalence of fire-associated mortality to strictly fossorial and fossorial reptiles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…When considering the histopathological manifestation of detrital combustion on species sheltering in substrate, especially in Fire C, the advective transportation of heated gas products into underlying soil layers as described in Massman et al (2010) may explain the prevalence of fire-associated mortality to strictly fossorial and fossorial reptiles. It is worth noting that the study site falls within an area that is considered rich in soil-living herpetofauna (Maritz and Alexander 2008) and the implications for these groups of animals may not be relevant for most of southern Africa.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire-associated reptile mortality in Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Even though fire has been used extensively as part of conservation management in South Africa, its impact on the life history and mortality of fossorial reptiles is poorly documented. We conducted post-fire transects after three controlled burns during different seasons in Tembe Elephant Park, recorded 14 reptile species, and found fewer mortalities in winter compared to spring. Results: Histopathological examinations of species were conducted from different microhabitats to elucidate the possible cause of death. The unburned condition of most mortality specimens prompted suspicion of particulate smoke inhalation as a possible cause of death. However, the relative absence of carbon-rich particulate matter and the occasional presence of pulmonary oedema suggested asphyxiation, heat-induced cardiac arrest, or gas intoxication as the most likely cause of death. The association of most specimens with microhabitats rich in leaf litter may indicate higher reptile densities in this habitat or increased mortalities due to smoldering detrital material, or both. Detrital combustion and smoldering may result in advective transportation of heated gasses into underlying soil layers, with subsequent increased mortalities. Conclusion: Even though burrowing could potentially offer protection from fire to fossorial vertebrates through vertical movements into deeper substrate, our results indicated that they are not necessarily protected from fire effects. We speculate that seasonal reproductive behavior may contribute to fire mortality. These observations may contribute to improved understanding and management of fire in areas where fossorial reptiles occur.

show abstract

“…Virtually nothing is known about the natural history of Scolecoseps. In general, knowledge of the factors that influence the occurrence of fossorial reptiles is rare (Maritz & Alexander 2009). All Scolecoseps currently known are restricted to coastal areas from Lumbo in the south, to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in the north (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new species ofScolecoseps(Reptilia: Scincidae) from coastal north-eastern Mozambique

Verburgt

Branch

2018

African Journal of Herpetology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Seven specimens of Scolecoseps Loveridge, 1920 from the vicinity of Palma on the north coast of Mozambique are compared morphologically with other known material of this genus. The new material can be distinguished morphologically from all other Scolecoseps by the presence and position of certain head scales, particularly a supraciliary and four small suboculars, a small mental and high subcaudal counts. It is described as a new species, Scolecoseps broadleyi sp. nov. The new species is found in coastal savannah habitat under leaf litter of Berlinia orientalis trees, in sandy soils in close proximity to large wetlands. Its currently known distribution is south of the range of Scolecoseps litipoensis Broadley, 1995 and north of that of Scolecoseps boulengeri Loveridge, 1920. We provide a review of the available literature for the genus Scolecoseps and highlight the necessity for additional research on these poorly known fossorial skinks.ZooBank-Scolecoseps broadleyi: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:C4E3723C-982-4CFA-900B-0B23A9AD5B84

show abstract

Breaking ground: Quantitative fossorial herpetofaunal ecology in South Africa

Cited by 8 publications

References 26 publications

Amphibian and reptile communities and functional groups over a land‐use gradient in a coastal tropical forest landscape of high richness and endemicity

Amphibian and reptile communities and functional groups over a land‐use gradient in a coastal tropical forest landscape of high richness and endemicity

Fire-associated reptile mortality in Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa

A new species ofScolecoseps(Reptilia: Scincidae) from coastal north-eastern Mozambique

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About