Paper
Session Abstracts
Meeting
of the
Bryan, Danny L.
A Two Year
Study Of Over-Winter Survival Rates Of Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, From An Artificial Hibernaculum
The Timber Rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, is declining
throughout much of its natural range. One possible contributing factor to this
decline is the low over-wintering survival rates by young of the species.
Several litters of timber rattlesnakes were placed in an artificial
hibernaculum to determine over-wintering survival rates during a two year
study. Minimum and maximum temperatures inside the structure were recorded from
22 December 2005 through 31 March 2006 and 11 November 2006 through 10 March
2007. Surviving snakes were counted and weighed on 02 April 2006 and 10 March
2007. Provided that young snakes locate adequate hibernacula, this study may
indicate that over-wintering survival success should be relatively high in
Middle Tennessee.
Burghardt, Gordon M.
Combating Ophiophobia: Is it
Essential for Conservation of Snakes?
This talk will briefly
explore some of the history of responses to snakes across cultures, time, and
religion. The literature on fear of snakes, educational efforts in zoos and
elsewhere, and some possible ideas for research and amelioration will be thrown
out for discussion. This is a serious issue not receiving sufficient attention,
and may be critical given the ecological processes underlying the distribution
of many snake populations. Current situations on which the author is working
involving Plains and
Retired Biology
Teacher and Coordinator of the Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization (CRESO)
- presently serves as an educational consultant for Anderson County Schools in
“Why does this
Green Frog have 5 legs?” This observation and question, based on the finding of
a Norris student, is the heart of science. Asking the questions “what’s here
and how does it change over time” demands a curriculum rich in discovery and
hypotheses-based science, applied math, literacy, and technology. The Norris
Elementary Wetland (NEW), located in
Schoolyard wetlands are an excellent strategy
for reconnecting our youth to their local landscape. The success of the NEW has resulted in
Davis, Karen M.
Social Behavior of Emydid Turtles in a Naturalistic
Setting
Turtle social behavior is little studied
in spite of their phylogeneticposition as either the most basal reptile taxon
or the sister taxon to the highly social birds and crocodilians. Although
parental care, ubiquitous in birds and crocodilians, is lacking in turtles,
they do interact during feeding, courtship, and basking. Nevertheless, detailed
studies of social dynamics from a comparative perspective, especially of
aquatic turtles, are rare. Social interactions of an established mixed species
group of closely related freshwater turtles (Emydidae) were studied in a
naturalistic enclosure. Video sequences of underwater turtle interactions were
analyzed. Turtles were found to interact
mainly with individuals of their own or most closely related species. The
behavioral repertoire used and frequency of social interactions varied
seasonally. Agonistic social interactions included,but were not limited to,
gapes, snaps, bites, chases, pushes, and retreats. Social interactions were
seen in all sexual pairings, with intense aggressive interactions more
prevalent with male-male pairs and courtship interactions more common with
female-male pairs. Some aggressive interactions included intense harassment of
a lower ranking male by coalitions of two or more higher ranking males. These
findings indicate that turtles are active social animals that interact with
specific individuals.
Foster, Melissa A.1;
Emily Groseclose2 and Matthew J. Gray1
A Case Study on the Effectiveness of the BioBlitz Survey at Estimating Herpetofaunal Richness
BioBlitz surveys are
short-duration (i.e., < 3d), effort-intensive surveys designed to rapidly
assess species richness in a given area.
To date, no studies have examined the effectiveness of BioBlitz surveys
at estimating herpetofaunal richness.
Thus, the objective of this study was to compare herpetofaunal species
lists between a 3-day BioBlitz survey (conducted 20-22 June 2006) and a 3-month
(June-August 2007) sampling effort performed by two observers at the Rocky Fork
Unit of Cherokee Wildlife Management Area (Unicoi Co., TN). Both surveys included artificial cover (wood
and tin) and visual encounter surveys.
The 3-month survey also used drift fence arrays, pitfall traps, funnel
traps and anuran call surveys. Overall,
19 caudate species were detected at Rocky Fork, 11 of which were detected by
both surveys. Five species were observed
only during the BioBlitz and 3 unique species were recorded during the 3-month
survey. Of the 9 anuran species recorded
at Rocky Fork, 2 species were detected by both survey types, 6 of these were
detected only by the 3-month survey and 1 species was recorded solely during
the BioBlitz. Six snake species also
were documented, with 5 of those detected during both surveys. Differences in species detection between
survey types were attributed to differences in sampling duration, intensity and
techniques, and possibly temporal variation associated with breeding seasons
and ambient conditions. Our results
suggest that the BioBlitz survey is relatively effective at documenting caudate
and snake species, but may underestimate species richness of the anuran
community. Longer duration surveys may
be necessary to accurately estimate anuran community composition.
Abundances of Grassland Snakes as Avian Predators
Grassland
songbird populations have been declining in recent years because of loss of
native grasslands. The native warm season grasslands that are left are the only
refuge for these declining populations. The size of these grasslands may be
directly related to the success of these populations based on factors such as
predation impact. Smaller grasslands may have lower reproductive success
because edge predators, such as snakes, can easily penetrate the interior of
the grassland, thus providing no refuge from predators to the songbirds. This
project is designed to test the hypothesis that large grasslands will have
lower abundances of snake predators in the interior than smaller grasslands.
This will be accomplished by trapping snakes in the interiors of both large and
small grasslands with drift fences. Box traps and funnel traps will be placed
along these drift fences to access the abundance and diversity of snake
populations within these two habitats.
Hamed, M. Kevin1,
Dale P. Ledford2 and Thomas F. Laughlin2
Use of Passive Integrated
Transponders in Monitoring Migration and Habitat Use in Ambystomatid
Salamanders
Previous studies have made
use of a number of different marking and tracking methodologies in the analysis
of habitat usage and migration patterns of Ambystomatid salamanders. We are investigating the utility of Passive
Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags as a means of identifying and tracking
specific individual salamanders over extended periods of time. Recent improvements in antenna technology
allow the detection of fossorial animals at depths of up to 30cm. Our results thus far indicate that individual
salamanders marked up to 2 years previously can be detected and identified
subterraneously in non-breeding habitat and that estimates of emigration
distances and daily movements are obtainable in Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) with this
technology.
Population Survey
of Eastern Box Turtles Prior to a Silviculture Clear-cut
In 2006 researchers at the
Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization (CRESO) began a population
study of the eastern box turtle (Terrapene
A Basking Behavior Study of
the Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone
s. spinifera) in
This study was focused on the
Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone
spinifera spinifera) in
Powers, Lisa
Keeping Lisa Out of Jail; or
What You Can Do as a Citizen to Prevent the Unwarranted and Illegal
Killing of Snakes on Public Property
Frog haven Farm
We are all familiar with the state
laws that protect all native wildlife, including snakes. But should we
encounter someone who is blatantly ignoring the law, even though he knows it,
what can we do legally to stop it?
After a brief introduction
and history, I will open the floor up for a discussion to figure out what we
can/need to do as a society and individuals to uphold the state laws.
Preliminary Observations on
Habitat Preference, Movement Patterns, and Survival of Introduced Juvenile Alligator
Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii)
The Center for Field Biology,
We used marked-recapture and
radiotelemetry to monitor non-native juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles, Macrochelys temminckii, following
release at the Wolf River Wildlife Management Area,
A Preliminary Report on the
Structure and Composition of a
The Center for Field Biology,
We report on 4 months
(May-August 2007) of a two-year ongoing marked-recapture study of a diverse
turtle assemblage in
“Atlas of Reptiles in
The
Center for Field Biology,
Effects of Confinement and
Temperature on Plasma Levels of Corticosterone in the
Department of Biology,
Abstract: In vertebrates, the
typical hormonal response to stress is characterized by an increase in plasma
glucocorticoids but few studies have concentrated on stress in snakes. In 2005,
16 Northern watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon) were caught and bled to
determine baseline levels of corticosterone, and, after one hour of
confinement, a second blood sample was taken to determine the effects of
confinement on plasma corticosterone. Confinement resulted in an average
increase of plasma corticosterone by five-fold. The magnitude of this increase
appears to be substantially greater than that previously reported for Agkistrodon contortrix and Thamnophis sirtalis. Baseline corticosterone was positively
correlated with both body mass and post-confinement corticosterone levels. In
addition, male N. sipedon had significantly higher hematocrit levels
than females. In 2006, 30 N. sipedon were caught and subjected to a
combined confinement and acute temperature stress (warmed, cooled, control).
All groups exhibited robust corticosterone responses, but there was no effect
of temperature treatment. As in 2005,
males had significantly higher hematocrit levels than females, however, females
exhibited post-stress corticosterone levels approximately double that of males.
Faunal Survey of the Oak
Savanna and Early Succession Habitat on Catoosa Wildlife Management Area
The Oak Savanna Restoration Project
is designed to establish and maintain permanent savanna habitat on the Catoosa
Wildlife Management Area. Intensive
management activities including timber thinning and burning in consecutive
years (up to 4 years) have been employed to establish the oak savanna. The importance of this type of open woodland
for many species has been stressed in the literature. In the Tennessee Wildlife Action Plan 37
Greatest Conservation Need (GCN) species were assigned preferences for
grassland and early succession habitats (Cumberland Plateau Region). The objectives of this project were to
measure the response of the animal communities to the intensive management
taking place and to assess key limiting factors identified in the TWAP for GCN
species. As part of this survey, drift fences were installed at four sites
within the oak savanna project area and two were installed in early
successional habitat resulting from regeneration cuts. Drift fence legs were 100ft in length with a
4’x 4’ box at the center of the array.
Two double ended funnel traps were placed on each leg. The four savanna drift fences were opened
between May 7 and May 22 and remained open for an average of 131 days. The 2 fences in the early successional
habitat were opened in June and July and were opened for an average of 88
days. Thirty four species (224
captures) were collected at the drift fences.
Allegheny woodrat, timber rattlesnake, eastern box turtle and eastern
hognosed snake were GCN species collected.
Habitat variables including canopy, understory and component mixture
were measured at each site to determine if stand characteristics effected
presence of GCN species. All GCN species
were collected at sites that had been burned (savanna sites) and had high
percentages of understory development.
The sites that had the most GCN captures had the highest percentages of
grasses in the understory. The
information collected in this survey will serve as baseline data for future
studies and has led to a better understanding of the key limiting factors
associated with grassland/woodland species.
A Preliminary Methodological Assessment of Thread
Trailing as a Research Tool for Monitoring Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene
carolina) on the Cumberland Plateau
Department of Biology, The University
of the South, 735 University Avenue, Sewanee, Tennessee 37383-1000
Thread trailing, a technique in which a chelonian drags string from a
carapace-mounted spool, is a method that has been used to study movement
patterns and their associated ecological and behavioral consequences. In
this study we tested various thread trailing designs on Eastern box turtles ( Terrapene