Invasive plant management creates ecological traps for snakes

Carter, Evin T.; Ravesi, Michael J.; Eads, Bryan C.; Kingsbury, Bruce A

doi:10.1007/s10530-016-1289-9

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Copperheads rely on rocky overwintering hibernacula located high on steep‐sided and often south‐facing slopes (Maigret & Cox, ), sites disproportionately destroyed by surface mining (Maigret et al, ). Copperheads are also generally intolerant of dense, invasive vegetation common to many reclaimed surface mines (Carter, Eads, Ravesi, & Kingsbury, ; Carter, Ravesi, Eads, & Kingsbury, ). Additionally, herpetofauna generally, and pit vipers in particular, have been shown to be especially vulnerable to vehicular traffic (Andrews & Gibbons, ; Shepard, Dreslik, Jellen, & Phillips, ), and elevated genetic differentiation associated with highways has been detected using microsatellite markers (Clark, Brown, Stechert, & Zamudio, ; DiLeo, Rouse, Dávila, & Lougheed, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Copperheads rely on rocky overwintering hibernacula located high on steep-sided and often south-facing slopes (Maigret & Cox, 2018), sites disproportionately destroyed by surface mining . Copperheads are also generally intolerant of dense, invasive vegetation common to many reclaimed surface mines (Carter, Eads, Ravesi, & Kingsbury, 2015;Carter, Ravesi, Eads, & Kingsbury, 2017). Additionally, herpetofauna generally, and pit vipers in particular, have been shown to be especially vulnerable to vehicular traffic (Andrews & Gibbons, 2005;Shepard, Dreslik, Jellen, & Phillips, 2008), and elevated genetic differentiation associated with highways has been detected using microsatellite markers (Clark, Brown, Stechert, & Zamudio, 2010;DiLeo, Rouse, Dávila, & Lougheed, 2013 Using RADseq data and nonspatial and spatially informed analyses, we investigated the potential for recently formed population structure across A. contortrix in eastern Kentucky as a result of this landscape change, with a particular focus on the effects of habitat fragmentation via surface coal mining and through the network of historical (c. 1920) and more recently constructed (c. 1975) high-traffic roads.…”

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confidence: 99%

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A spatial genomic approach identifies time lags and historical barriers to gene flow in a rapidly fragmenting Appalachian landscape

2020

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The resolution offered by genomic data sets coupled with recently developed spatially informed analyses are allowing researchers to quantify population structure at increasingly fine temporal and spatial scales. However, both empirical research and conservation measures have been limited by questions regarding the impacts of data set size, data quality thresholds and the timescale at which barriers to gene flow become detectable. Here, we used restriction site associated DNA sequencing to generate a 2,140 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data set for the copperhead snake (Agkistrodon contortrix) and address the population genomic impacts of recent and widespread landscape modification across an ~1,000‐km2 region of eastern Kentucky, USA. Nonspatial population‐based assignment and clustering methods supported little to no population structure. However, using individual‐based spatial autocorrelation approaches we found evidence for genetic structuring which closely follows the path of a historically important highway which experienced high traffic volumes from c. 1920 to 1970 before losing most traffic to a newly constructed alternative route. We found no similar spatial genomic signatures associated with more recently constructed highways or surface mining activity, although a time lag effect may be responsible for the lack of any emergent spatial genetic patterns. Subsampling of our SNP data set suggested that similar results could be obtained with as few as 250 SNPs, and a range of thresholds for missing data exhibited limited impacts on the spatial patterns we detected. While we were not able to estimate relative effects of land uses or precise time lags, our findings highlight the importance of temporal factors in landscape genetics approaches, and suggest the potential advantages of genomic data sets and fine‐scale, spatially informed approaches for quantifying subtle genetic patterns in temporally complex landscapes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

A spatial genomic approach identifies time lags and historical barriers to gene flow in a rapidly fragmenting Appalachian landscape

2020

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“…For example, the increase in abundance of McCann's skinks within rock pile habitat may have arisen solely from immigration from surrounding areas. Such source-sink dynamics have been recorded in other reptile species, with consequences for metapopulation health ranging from benign to detrimental (Driscoll et al 2012;Carter et al 2017). Ideally, future studies investigating the effects of rock pile construction on lizards will follow a before-after-control-impact (BACI; Stewart-Oaten et al 1986) design to strengthen the level of inference that can be made about the biological effects of habitat enhancement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Use of constructed rock piles by lizards in a grassland habitat in Otago, New Zealand

Herbert,

Knox,

Clarke

et al. 2023

NZJE

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The main drivers of lizard population declines in Aotearoa New Zealand are habitat loss and introduced predators. Therefore, habitat enhancement could be useful for mitigating declines, but there is little information on how Aotearoa-endemic lizards respond to these interventions. We examined whether novel habitats created by ten c. 375 m 3 constructed rock piles would be used by McCann's skinks (Oligosoma maccani), southern grass skinks (O. aff. polychroma Clade 5), and kōrero geckos (Woodworthia "Otago/Southland large"). The rock piles and their immediate edges were surveyed 22 times between four months and 2.4 years post-construction, resulting in 228 sightings of McCann's skinks on all ten piles, 20 sightings of southern grass skinks on six piles, and two sightings of kōrero geckos on two piles. Estimated abundance of McCann's skinks increased over time, and neonates were observed. These observations indicate that rock pile construction could create habitats for McCann's skinks, but further inference is limited. We recommend that future mitigation programs quantify how habitat construction affects lizard populations and suggest methods for achieving this.

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“…Beyond this specific ecosystem, an increasing amount of studies have documented cases of ecological traps in a variety of taxonomical groups and human-modified environments (Rotem et al 2013, Hale and Swearer 2016, Robertson and Chalfoun 2016. Traps may also arise as an unintended consequence of habitat restoration (Hale and Swearer 2017), prescribed fires (Shochat et al 2005) or invasive plant management (Carter et al 2017). Therefore, the recommendations we will make go beyond the specific case of shrikes in plantation forests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological traps and species distribution models: a challenge for prioritizing areas of conservation importance

et al. 2019

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Species distribution models analyse how species use different types of habitats. Their spatial predictions are often used to prioritize areas for conservation. Individuals may, however, prefer settling in habitat types of low quality compared to other available habitats. This ecological trap phenomenon is usually studied in a small number of habitat patches and consequences at the landscape level are largely unknown. It is therefore often unclear whether the spatial pattern of habitat use is aligned with the behavioural decisions made by the individuals during habitat selection or reflects actual variation in the quality of different habitat types. As species distribution models analyse the pattern of occurrence in different habitats, there is a conservation interest in examining what their predictions mean in terms of habitat quality when ecological traps are operating. Previous work in Belgium showed that red‐backed shrikes Lanius collurio are more attracted to newly available clear‐cut habitat in plantation forests than to the traditionally used farmland habitat. We developed models with shrike distribution data and compared their predictions with spatial variation in shrike reproductive performance used as a proxy for habitat quality. Models accurately predicted shrike distribution and identified the preferred clear‐cut patches as the most frequently used habitat, but reproductive performance was lower in clear‐cut areas than in farmland. With human‐induced rapid environmental changes, organisms may indeed be attracted to low‐quality habitats and occupy them at high densities. Consequently, the predictions of statistical models based on occurrence records may not align with variation in significant population parameters for the maintenance of the species. When species expand their range to novel habitats, such models are useful to document the spatial distribution of the organisms, but data on population growth rates are worth collecting before using model predictions to guide the spatial prioritization of conservation actions.

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Invasive plant management creates ecological traps for snakes

Cited by 7 publications

References 44 publications

A spatial genomic approach identifies time lags and historical barriers to gene flow in a rapidly fragmenting Appalachian landscape

A spatial genomic approach identifies time lags and historical barriers to gene flow in a rapidly fragmenting Appalachian landscape

Use of constructed rock piles by lizards in a grassland habitat in Otago, New Zealand

Ecological traps and species distribution models: a challenge for prioritizing areas of conservation importance

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