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Ecological Studies of the Smooth Earth Snake and Redbelly Snake, and Niche Modeling of Forest Species in Eastern Kansas

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Ecological Studies of the Smooth Earth Snake and Redbelly Snake, and Niche Modeling of Forest Species in Eastern Kansas Ecological Studies of the Smooth Earth Snake and Redbelly Snake, and Niche Modeling of Forest Species in Eastern Kansas August 12, 2014 William H. Busbya, George R. Pisania, E. Townsend Petersonb, and Narayani Barveb aKansas Biological Survey 2101 Constant Avenue Lawrence, KS 66047-3759 bBiodiversity Institute University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045 Submitted to: Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism 512 SE 25th Avenue Pratt, KS 67124-5911 1 Table of Contents Chapter I. Ecological Studies of the Smooth Earth Snake and Redbelly Snake in Eastern Kansas Acknowledgments............................................................................................................................3 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................4 Methods............................................................................................................................................6 Results ..............................................................................................................................................8 Discussion ......................................................................................................................................11 Specific Proposal Questions Addressed by New Work ............................................................16 Northeast Kansas Habitats ........................................................................................................16 Reproduction .............................................................................................................................30 Isozymes and Adaptation in Storeria occipitomaculata ...........................................................31 Population Density ....................................................................................................................31 Mortality ...................................................................................................................................32 Longevity ..................................................................................................................................34 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................34 Literature Cited ..............................................................................................................................36 Figures.................................................................................................................................. …46-62 Chapter II. Niche Modeling of Forest Species in Eastern Kansas Introduction……………………………………………………….…………………………..….62 Methods……………………………………………………………………………………….….63 Results……………………………………………………………………………………………64 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………..……67 Literature Cited….........................................................................................................................67 2 Chapter I. Ecological Studies of the Smooth Earth Snake and Redbelly Snake in Eastern Kansas William H. Busby and George R. Pisani Acknowledgements For assistance in various capacities during this study we express sincere thanks to: David Bender, Barbara Clauson, Jeff Clouser, Kerry Cobb, Jennifer Delisle, Cathy Dwigans, Ralph & Roma Earles, David Farmer, Craig Freeman, Matthew Garrett, Brian Gray, Hank Guarisco, Wes Horner, Eric Kessler, Kelly Kindscher, Dan Krull, Jessica Lawrenz, Randal Lipson, William Maasen, Jon McGrath, LtCol David McMartin (US Army), Richard Morantz, Stacy Myers, Bob & Jan Nitcher, Jon Park, Michael Pearce, Galen Pittman, Stan Roth, Rena Rouse, Curtis Schmidt, Erin Sheafer, David Seibel, George Stevenson, Travis Taggart, Billie Thompson, Robert Timm, Mary Tindell, John Tollefson, Patrick Walker, Laronda Warrick, Zach Warring, Xan Wedel, Chad Whitney, Ray Wilber, Brad Williamson, Ron Wyatt, Erik Zeidler, and Mike Zerwekh. We also are grateful to Ed Martinko, Director, Kansas Biological Survey and Dean Kettle, Director, University of Kansas Field Station for access to tracts and to field facilities. Funding for this project was provided by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism through State Wildlife Grant T-30-R-1. 3 Introduction The Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae) and Redbelly Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) remain the two most poorly known snakes ecologically in northeast Kansas and adjacent Missouri. Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) identifies these two snakes as threatened species. Urban development is perhaps the greatest threat to the habitats utilized by both species in northeast Kansas. This trend is not new (see for example Ahrens 1997), but is continuing, particularly in the greater Kansas City area in Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte counties (Pisani and Busby 2011). This four-county area contains much of the historic habitat for Smooth Earth Snake and Redbelly Snake in Kansas. As habitat is lost to urbanization, little is being set aside for natural areas conservation. Kansas ranks last among the 50 states in percent public land ownership with less than 1% (NRCM 1999). This situation points to a heightened need to enlist public support for conservation in general. A recent KDWPT report indicates public support for wildlife conservation (VanScoyok 2013). Both species are of small size and do not readily disperse beyond a distance of a few hundred meters. The principal issue is simply mobility—they are small and their locomotion is limited. Other similar-sized snakes behave much the same (Pisani 2009b, Gray 2011). Thus, they have limited ability to re-invade habitats that putatively have been restored but are disjunct from other populations of either species. Populations of both species are located at the western limits of their ranges which are centered in eastern North America. While these forest-associated species have limited habitat available on the western periphery of their range, eastern populations occur in more heavily forested regions with greater precipitation and more stable climate regimes. This increased environmental uniformity is generally associated with larger populations and perhaps more consistent availability of the prey that make up the specialized diets of these snakes (Pisani and Busby 2011, Gray 2011, Semlitsch and Moran 1984). Vital to the conservation of these and similar species more generally entails protection of dwindling historical habitats such as (in Kansas) old-growth deciduous hardwood forest. In an extensive review of management practices in mixed hardwood forest, Werner and Raffa (2000) noted that “Loss and fragmentation of natural habitats due to anthropogenic disturbances such as logging, agriculture, altered fire regime, and urban development, are suspected to be primary causes of a rapid decline in the earth's biodiversity ..., with species extinction estimated to be 400 times the natural rate...” These trends are glaringly apparent in northeast Kansas, and balancing conservation with economic growth and suburban development will entail ongoing effort to integrate these goals in order to both preserve the state’s biota and enhance the natural- environment experience of its people. This study addresses issues and strategies listed in Table 1 that are contained in the Kansas Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan (CWCP), and adds to in information presented in the final report of our previous study (Pisani and Busby 2011). 4 Table 1. Issues and strategies in the Kansas Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan that are pertinent to this study. Issues Strategies which together address issues Lack of data on species present, and habitat needs Conduct wildlife surveys. Conduct studies of habitat needs of species in forest habitat Urbanization and agricultural activities are changing these Conduct studies of habitat needs of species that habitats inhabit the area. Promote the use of best management practices in forests and adjacent lands Lack of knowledge and understanding of deciduous forests Conduct studies on habitat quality and quantity. and deciduous floodplains leads to poor management Provide technical assistance and financial incentives decisions for landowners to implement best management practices Specific questions presented in our proposal and addressed by our study are: Question Background What is the extent of seasonal Pisani (2009b) found that Smooth Earth Snakes in one population moved to habitat use and niche dimensions open grassland after emerging from hibernation sites in deciduous woodland. of these species? We investigated seasonal activity in both species at a different site with contrasting environmental features. What is the association of Snakes in the genera Virginia and Storeria have an association with ants, Smooth Earth Snake and especially large-bodied ones of the genus Formica (Cervone 1983; Noble and Redbelly Snake with ants? Clausen 1936; Pisani 2009a). This relationship also has been observed (but not documented in detail) for Redbelly Snake in one of the populations we have studied most intensively. What is diet of each species and In other parts of its range, the Redbelly Snakes has been reported to eat what are the implications of food predominantly slugs of several genera, and to occur in wooded regions of at availability on season activity least moderate annual rainfall (Smith 1963). In the course of our current SWG and movement? study we have
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