Multiscale Influences of Landscape Composition and Configuration on the Spatial Ecology of Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus)

Hoss, Shannon K.; Guyer, Craig; Smith, Lora L.; Schuett, Gordon W.

doi:10.1670/08-277.1

Cited by 42 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Species were strategically chosen to capture a range of animal mobility and habitat specialization while focusing on 'species of greatest conservation need' as listed by multiple state governments in their wildlife action planning. The remaining two species, pine snake and eastern diamondback rattlesnake, can be regarded as habitat specialists with an affinity for early successional, shrub/scrub and/or fire-adapted forests such as long-leaf pine ecosystems (Hoss et al, 2010;Baxley, Lipps & Qualls, 2011;Miller et al, 2012). The habitat generalists in this study, the three mammals and timber rattlesnake, have undergone large range contractions from their historical distributions and the eastern cougar and red wolf are federally designated as endangered (Laliberte & Ripple, 2004).…”

Section: Target Speciesmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…We used a combination of expert opinion (see below) and literature review to estimate home-range size and maximum dispersal distances. Though these two specialists are patchily distributed across similar habitats, they may tolerate different levels of fragmentation and roads (Steen et al, 2007;Hoss et al, 2010) while exhibiting a nearly twofold difference in maximum dispersal distance. Although these species have generalized habitat requirements, the black bear and timber rattlesnake are often highly associated with deciduous and bottomland hardwood forests (Larkin et al, 2004;Hoss et al, 2010), while the red wolf and eastern cougar are highly associated with agricultural pasture and forest edge habitats (Dellinger et al, 2013;Frakes et al, 2015).…”

Section: Target Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Landscape connectivity losses due to sea level rise and land use change

et al. 2016

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A fundamental problem in landscape ecology is understanding the isolating effects of different patterns of habitat loss and fragmentation on species and ecosystems. In the 21st century, urban development and sea level rise (SLR) are predicted to affect large areas of the United States, further exacerbating already fragmented and densely populated landscapes. Increasing or restoring habitat connectivity may ameliorate these effects, but the broad-reaching efforts required to assess current and future changes to connectivity, especially in low-lying areas vulnerable to SLR, are still under development. To address these issues, we strategically identified a small group of regionally significant species that represent a range of characteristics and ecological requirements useful for examining landscape connectivity. We used expert opinion to parameterize divergent species responses (i.e. resistance) to landscape features and to assess permeability of the landscape. From this, we estimated contemporary and future low-resistance habitat cores in the year 2100. We modeled six species for habitat connectivity using a multiscaled circuit theory-based approach and analysed them collectively to indicate landscape connectivity across the Southeastern United States. Using this approach, we were able to forecast changing connectivity patterns based on predicted urbanization and SLR. Our results suggest that there will be a 41% reduction in the number of low-resistance cores and a 35% decrease in mean area of remaining cores. In addition, current areas of high landscape connectivity will become more fragmented as future connectivity values indicate a more homogenized landscape structure. In the future landscape, pathways for connectivity are likely to move inland and northward as sea level and urbanization pressures increase. Our results may inform more comprehensive planning initiatives regionally or nationally, while simultaneously providing a multiscaled context for localized planning efforts.

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Section: Target Speciesmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Target Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape connectivity losses due to sea level rise and land use change

et al. 2016

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“…), and their spatial ecology may be a function of habitat heterogeneity (Hoss et al . ). When evergreen forests are at low levels, there is a greater probability of a relatively high proportion of other habitats being present; this habitat diversity may facilitate co‐occurrence of the two species, which exhibit different habitat preferences within a site (Waldron et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snake co‐occurrence patterns are best explained by habitat and hypothesized effects of interspecific interactions

Steen

McClure

Brock

et al. 2013

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Summary1. Snakes often occur in species-rich assemblages, and sympatry is thought to be facilitated primarily by low diet overlap, not interspecific interactions. 2. We selected, a priori, three species pairs consisting of species that are morphologically and taxonomically similar and may therefore be likely to engage in interspecific, consumptive competition. We then examined a large-scale database of snake detection/nondetection data and used occupancy modelling to determine whether these species occur together more or less frequently than expected by chance while accounting for variation in detection probability among species and incorporating important habitat categories in the models. 3. For some snakes, we obtained evidence that the probabilities that habitat patches are used are influenced by the presence of potentially competing congeneric species. Specifically, timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) were less likely than expected by chance to use areas that also contained eastern diamond-backed rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus) when the proportion of evergreen forest was relatively high. Otherwise, they occurred together more often than expected by chance. Complex relationships were revealed between habitat use, detection probabilities and occupancy probabilities of North American racers (Coluber constrictor) and coachwhips (Coluber flagellum) that indicated the probability of competitive exclusion increased with increasing area of grassland habitat, although there was some model uncertainty. Cornsnakes (Pantherophis guttatus or Pantherophis slowinskii) and ratsnakes (Pantherophis alleghaniensis, Pantherophis spiloides, or Pantherophis obsoletus) exhibited differences in habitat selection, but we obtained no evidence that patterns of use for this species pair were influenced by current interspecific interactions. 4. Overall, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that competitive interactions influence snake assemblage composition; the strength of these effects was affected by landscapescale habitat features. Furthermore, we suggest that current interspecific interactions may influence snake occupancy, challenging the paradigm that contemporary patterns of snake co-occurrence are largely a function of diet partitioning that arose over evolutionary time.

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“…For some species, occupancy modeling confirmed suggestions made elsewhere regarding potentially important habitats. For example, although C. adamanteus is thought to primarily select early-successional and/or fire-maintained pine forests and savannas (Waldron et al 2006, 2008, Hoss et al 2010), a habitat mosaic is also likely to be important to the species (Hoss et al 2010), and vegetation structure may be of greater importance than vegetation species composition for C. adamanteus (Waldron et al 2008) and for snakes in general (Reinert 2001). Similarly, C. adamanteus used a variety of habitats, including agricultural areas, hardwood, pine, and mixed hardwood-pine forests in southwestern Georgia, although it was not significantly associated with any one of these habitats in particular (Steen et al 2007b).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We constructed 10 competing models representing various hypotheses pertaining to important influences on snake habitat use, as suggested in previous studies (Table 3). Because habitat heterogeneity may be an important consideration (e.g., Hoss et al 2010), we included a model containing five habitat categorizations. We also grouped traps according to the project with which they were associated and included a model with only project as a covariate to determine whether there were project or site-specific idiosyncrasies unmeasured within this study that were important occupancy predictors.…”

Section: Occupancy Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape‐level influences of terrestrial snake occupancy within the southeastern United States

Steen

McClure

Brock

et al. 2012

Ecological Applications

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Habitat loss and degradation are thought to be the primary drivers of species extirpations, but for many species we have little information regarding specific habitats that influence occupancy. Snakes are of conservation concern throughout North America, but effective management and conservation are hindered by a lack of basic natural history information and the small number of large‐scale studies designed to assess general population trends. To address this information gap, we compiled detection/nondetection data for 13 large terrestrial species from 449 traps located across the southeastern United States, and we characterized the land cover surrounding each trap at multiple spatial scales (250‐, 500‐, and 1000‐m buffers). We used occupancy modeling, while accounting for heterogeneity in detection probability, to identify habitat variables that were influential in determining the presence of a particular species. We evaluated 12 competing models for each species, representing various hypotheses pertaining to important habitat features for terrestrial snakes. Overall, considerable interspecific variation existed in important habitat variables and relevant spatial scales. For example, kingsnakes (Lampropeltis getula) were negatively associated with evergreen forests, whereas Louisiana pinesnake (Pituophis ruthveni) occupancy increased with increasing coverage of this forest type. Some species were positively associated with grassland and scrub/shrub (e.g., Slowinski's cornsnake, Elaphe slowinskii) whereas others, (e.g., copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix, and eastern diamond‐backed rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus) were positively associated with forested habitats. Although the species that we studied may persist in varied landscapes other than those we identified as important, our data were collected in relatively undeveloped areas. Thus, our findings may be relevant when generating conservation plans or restoration goals. Maintaining or restoring landscapes that are most consistent with the ancestral habitat preferences of terrestrial snake assemblages will require a diverse habitat matrix over large spatial scales.

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Multiscale Influences of Landscape Composition and Configuration on the Spatial Ecology of Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus)

Cited by 42 publications

References 57 publications

Landscape connectivity losses due to sea level rise and land use change

Landscape connectivity losses due to sea level rise and land use change

Snake co‐occurrence patterns are best explained by habitat and hypothesized effects of interspecific interactions

Landscape‐level influences of terrestrial snake occupancy within the southeastern United States

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