Effects of clearcutting and site preparation on herpetofauna of a North Florida flatwoods

Drift-fence sampling for 1 year yielded information on effects of clearcutting and site-preparation intensity on flatwoods herpetofauna in northern Florida. Sampling occurred in a naturally regenerated 40-year-old slash pine forest and two adjacent 3–4-year-old clearcuts subjected to different site treatments. Four drift-fence array (16 fences) in the forest captured totals of 6266 amphibians (15 species) and 230 reptiles (21 species). From an equal number of arrays in both the minimum- and maximum-treatment clearcuts, amphibian captures totalled 592 (9 species) and 758 (11 species), respectively, and reptile captures totalled 196 (19 species) and 85 (14 species), respectively. Clearcutting and site-preparation treatments did not affect amphibian species richness, but reptile species richness was lower in the maximum-treatment clearcut, due to the absence of some arboreal lizard and snake species. Clearcutting reduced amphibian abundance tenfold by affecting reproductive success. Reptile abundance was reduced by maximum site preparation but not by minimum site preparation. Arboreal lizard populations were severely reduced by clearcutting. Herpetofaunal biomass was not affected by clearcutting and site preparation, but the biomass was apportioned differently among taxonomic groups. The minimum-treatment clearcut had higher snake biomass and lower anuran biomass than the other two sites, whereas the maximum-treatment clearcut had lower lizard biomass than the other two sites. Reptile communities in flatwoods would be favored by site-preparation practices that minimized site disturbances and maximized presence of logging debris. Responses of amphibian communities seemed to be dependent upon availability of water. Overall herpetofaunal diversity would be greatest in an area containing a mosaif of small clearcuts, cypress domes, and different-aged pine stands.