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Reptile Communities Under Diverse Forest Management in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Abstract - From May 1995 to March 1999, we censused reptiles in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, on approximately 60 plots on each of four forested watersheds five times per year, with new plots each year. We found that the least intensively managed watershed had significantly lower per-plot reptile abundances, species richness, and diversity. Despite these differences, community similarities were high (0.89-0.98, Morisita’s index) between all watersheds. The least intensively managed watershed had nominally higher overall species evenness and diversity. Further inspection revealed that this was due to high dominance in the more intensively managed watersheds by two species that were notas as dominant in the least intensively managed watershed. Detrended correspondence analysis revealed communities separating out on the basis of presumed gradients of canopy cover, terrestrial-aquatic, and a complex gradient of humidity/soil moisture.

Parent Publication

Citation

Shipman, Paul A.; Fox, Stanley F.; Thill, Ronald E.; Phelps, Joseph P.; Leslie, David M., Jr. 2004. Reptile Communities Under Diverse Forest Management in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-74. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp. 174-182
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/6527