Herpetofaunal assemblages in relation to forestry practices on wildlife management areas in northeast Louisiana.

摘要

Ouachita (OWMA) and Russell Sage Wildlife Management Areas (RSWMA) are state-owned and managed public lands in Ouachita Parish, northeast Louisiana. Both are comprised of bottomland hardwood forest within the Bayou Lafourche floodplain, although OWMA also has extensive areas of reforested agricultural fields. Between the two WMAs, twenty-six 500-meter transects were marked. Visual encounter surveys (VES), and drift fence surveys were conducted along transects, whereas anuran call surveys were conducted at points independent of the transects. Surveys conducted from April 2003 through November 2004 resulted in 40 species at OWMA and 42 species at RSWMA. Both VES and drift fence sampling individually accounted for a little over half (55-68%) of the total species known from each WMA. The two techniques produced very similar indices of overall similarity. Significant differences in diversity were found among treatments at OWMA between the reforested and forested tracts, with the reforested areas having less diversity. At RSWMA there were no significant effects of timber treatment management.