Reptile and Amphibian Responses to Restoration of Fire‐Maintained Pine Woodlands
Reptile and Amphibian Responses to Restoration of Fire‐Maintained Pine Woodlands
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爬行动物和两栖动物对火维持松林恢复的反应
DOI：
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发表时间：
2009
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影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Ronald E. Thill
中科院分区：
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作者：
R. W. Perry;D. Rudolph;Ronald E. Thill
在世界许多地区，防火林地和稀树草原是脊椎动物的重要生态系统。森林管理者正在恢复这些生态系统，但在以短叶松（Pinus echinata）为主的地区，有关爬行动物对这种恢复的反应的信息很少。我们将恢复的松树林中的栖息地特征和爬行动物群落与美国阿肯色州西部沃希托山脉相对无人管理的次生森林进行了比较。我们发现定期焚烧对林地的恢复对物种的影响不同；一些物种受益，一些物种似乎受到负面影响，但大多数物种都没有做出明确的反应。松树林中的爬行动物总体捕获量显着高于未恢复的森林（p = 0.041）；与未恢复的森林相比，在林地中捕获一种蛇和三种蜥蜴的频率更高。在无尾目动物中，我们发现任何物种的林地和未恢复森林之间的捕获量没有显着差异。在蝾螈中，我们几乎完全在未恢复的森林中捕获了西部粘液蝾螈（Plethodon albagula），但两种处理之间对其他物种的捕获没有差异。从历史上看，沃希托地区可能由一个马赛克组成，其中包括防火栖息地（林地、稀树草原和大草原）和不太可能燃烧的湿地地区的茂密森林区域。因此，保留开阔林地和更密集、烧毁程度较低的森林（以未采伐的绿地或独立林分的形式）的景观可能会促进和维持爬行动物的更大多样性。
Fire‐maintained woodlands and savannas are important ecosystems for vertebrates in many regions of the world. These ecosystems are being restored by forest managers, but little information exists on herpetofaunal responses to this restoration in areas dominated by shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata). We compared habitat characteristics and herpetofaunal communities in restored pine woodlands to relatively unmanaged, second‐growth forests in the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas, USA. We found woodland restoration with periodic burning affected species differently; some species benefited, some species appeared negatively affected, but most species did not respond clearly either way. Overall reptile captures were significantly (p = 0.041) greater in pine‐woodlands than in unrestored forest; one species of snake and three species of lizards were captured more often in woodlands than unrestored forests. Among anurans, we found no significant difference in captures between woodlands and unrestored forests for any species. Among salamanders, we captured western slimy salamanders (Plethodon albagula) almost exclusively in unrestored forest, but captures of other species did not differ between the two treatments. Historically, the Ouachita region likely consisted of a mosaic that included both fire‐maintained habitats (woodlands, savannas, and prairies) and areas of denser forest on mesic sites that were less likely to burn. Consequently, landscapes that retain both open woodlands and denser, less‐intensely burned forest (in the form of unharvested greenbelts or separate stands) would likely promote and maintain a greater diversity of herpetofauna.