SREL Reprint #2579

Reptiles and amphibians

J. Whitfield Gibbons and Kurt A. Buhhnann

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC

Introduction: The southern United States contains forest habitats in great diversity, including upland and bottomland hardwood forests, pine flatwoods, and cypress-tupelo gum swamps, that are of vital importance to a variety of species. Among the permanent residents of southern forests, the herpetofauna, comprising the reptiles and amphibians, rival all other vertebrate groups in biodiversity.
Although the most diverse and abundant 2 classes of terrestrial vertebrates in the region, reptiles and amphibians have traditionally received minimal attention from a wildlife management perspective (Gibbons 1988) and have seldom been the focus of wildlife management practices. Most wildlife management guides have had little information on herpetofaunal communities, and few universities have emphasized their importance in wildlife programs. Nonetheless, reptiles and amphibians are becoming recognized as meaningful components of forest wildlife communities that are deserving of management consideration.
Traditional wildlife and fisheries management is perceived as being at a crossroads (Muth et al. 1998). Whereas traditional wildlife objectives emphasized production of game species and management of their habitat for human use, other important objectives began to emerge almost three decades ago that focused on nongame species, biodiversity, landscape-level ecology, conservation, and the role of all plants and animals as ecosystem components. Within this framework of ecological communities and ecosystems, the importance of reptiles and amphibians has become recognized. Our goal is to introduce forest herpetofauna of the southern United States and provide an overview of their ecology, habitat requirements, and problems, and suggest proactive wildlife management and conservation activities that will benefit reptiles and amphibians.

SREL Reprint #2579

Gibbons, J. W. and K. A. Buhlmann. 2001. Reptiles and amphibians. pp. 372-390 In: J. G. Dickson (Ed.). Wildlife of Southern Forests: Habitat and Management. Hancock House Publishers. Surrey, British Columbia and Blaine, WA.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).