SREL Reprint #3098

Vegetation structure and the habitat specificity of a declining North American reptile: A remnant of former landscapes

Jayme L. Waldron1, Shane M. Welch2, and Stephen H. Bennett3

1Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
2Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Coker Life Sciences 706, Columbia, SC 29802, USA
3South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Columbia, SC 29201, USA

Abstract: Although all species provide some spatial information about past environments, remnant populations of habitat specialists can serve as biological legacies and natural archives of historical landscapes. The endangered longleaf pine ecosystem is home to an array of imperiled fauna that specialize on the habitat. Often referred to as pine savanna, the ecosystem was characterized by longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), but included an array of open-canopy habitats within a grassland matrix dominated by a variety of tree species. In this study, we used a coarse scale of description to quantify habitat associations of a declining reptile, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), historically associated with pine savannas of the southeastern United States. We made cross-scale habitat comparisons and controlled for land use and geographic variability. Habitat models of within home range and microhabitat selection indicated that the species was associated with an open-canopy savanna community structure. We identified the eastern diamondback rattlesnake as a remnant of the historical southeastern savanna, which is important for species conservation and broader management of the southeastern savanna community. Given their longevity and habitat specificity, remnant eastern diamondback rattlesnake populations are biological legacies of the southeastern savanna community and act as a surrogate for the prioritization of land conservation. Thus, the species’ presence provides spatial information that can be used by conservationists to identify habitats that have high restoration potential, and also increases the probability that other species associated with pine savanna occur locally.

Keywords: Radiotelemetry, Logistic regression, Historical ecology, Pine savanna, Crotalus, Coastal Plain, Remnant, Surrogate

SREL Reprint #3098

Waldron, J. L., S. M. Welch, and S. H. Bennett. 2008. Vegetation structure and the habitat specificity of a declining North American reptile: A remnant of former landscapes. Biological Conservation 141(2008): 2477-2482.

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