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Landscape-Scale Effects of Supra-Seasonal Drought on Semi-Aquatic Snake Assemblages

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Abstract

Climate change is predicted to alter the frequency and intensity of precipitation events, placing stress on freshwater aquatic ecosystems and their associated wildlife. Thus, understanding interspecific variation in drought sensitivity and the repeatability of those responses across heterogeneous landscapes is critical. Semi-aquatic snakes serve important roles within aquatic ecosystems and several species are threatened. Yet, little is known about the effects of drought on semi-aquatic snake populations or assemblages. We systematically trapped 20 isolated wetlands in South Carolina before (2006) and after (2013) a multi-year supra-seasonal drought to determine drought-induced shifts in occupancy and detection for five semi-aquatic snake species. Our results confirm that supra-seasonal drought differentially affects semi-aquatic snake species across landscape scales. Specifically, site occupancy decreased dramatically following drought for banded watersnakes (Nerodia fasciata) (0.95 to 0.69) and Florida green watersnakes (Nerodia floridana) (0.32 to 0.05), but was relatively unchanged for black swamp snakes (Seminatrix pygaea), mudsnakes (Farancia abacura) and glossy crayfish snakes (Regina rigida). Species lacking adaptations that make them resistant or resilient to drought may become locally extirpated if climate change projections are realized or landscapes are degraded or fragmented in ways that prevent drought recovery.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management [Award Number DE-FCO9-07SR22506]. We thank the University of Arkansas for support and funding and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) for providing logistical support. We thank Tracey Tuberville for graciously hosting us at SREL and Whit Gibbons, Brett DeGregorio, and Stacey Lance for logistical support and encouragement. We also thank Mark Vukovich, Joy Vukovich, Caitlin Rumrill, Becca Phillips, Brian Metts, Sean Poppy, Melissa Pilgrim, Kimberly Andrews, Gregory Skupien, Clay Noss, Mike Epperly, Wes Flynn, Cara Love, Joseph Colbert, Andrew Cronin, Matt Atkinson, David Scott, and Angela Lindell for support, and field assistance. See also acknowledgments in Durso et al. (2011).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA

    Philip N. Vogrinc & John D. Willson

  2. Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA

    Andrew M. Durso

  3. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA

    Christopher T. Winne

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  1. Philip N. Vogrinc
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Correspondence to John D. Willson.

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Vogrinc, P.N., Durso, A.M., Winne, C.T. et al. Landscape-Scale Effects of Supra-Seasonal Drought on Semi-Aquatic Snake Assemblages. Wetlands 38, 667–676 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-018-1009-6

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