Reptile responses to vegetation structure in a grassland restored for an endangered snake

Mizsei, Edvárd; Fejes, Zsófia; Malatinszky, Ákos; Lengyel, Szabolcs; Vadász, Csaba

doi:10.1007/s42974-020-00019-2

Cited by 19 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…2007; Mizsei et al . 2020), and this appears to be the case with A. parapulchella . Further research is required to test for this possibility.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…Mizsei et al . (2020) detected differing responses by reptiles to vegetation characteristics in a grassland that had been restored for an endangered European snake species and concluded that management in restored grasslands should aim to increase total cover for lizards and increase structural diversity for all reptiles. The importance of tussocks in relation to reptiles has been identified in other studies (Stevens et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2016), and tussocks have even been described as keystone structures (Mizsei et al . 2020). Our findings reinforce these previous findings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may be a result of the vigorous sward outcompeting smaller species (Stuwe & Parsons 1977). For reptiles, structural characteristics of vegetation are likely to be more important than vegetation composition (Garden et al 2007;Mizsei et al 2020), and this appears to be the case with A. parapulchella. Further research is required to test for this possibility.…”

Section: Vegetation As a Predictor Of Habitat Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mizsei et al (2020) detected differing responses by reptiles to vegetation characteristics in a grassland that had been restored for an endangered European snake species and concluded that management in restored grasslands should aim to increase total cover for lizards and increase structural diversity for all reptiles. The importance of tussocks in relation to reptiles has been identified in other studies (Stevens et al 2010;Sato et al 2014), including for pygopodids (Brown et al 2011;Howland et al 2016), and tussocks have even been described as keystone structures (Mizsei et al 2020). Our findings reinforce these previous findings.…”

Section: Vegetation Structure and Reptilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Agricultural modification to vegetation drives presence and abundance of a threatened fossorial legless lizard

et al. 2020

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Agricultural modification is one of the main drivers of global biodiversity decline. Vegetation clearance, tillage, grazing, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides have significantly affected native plants and animals. Reptiles can be vulnerable to agricultural practices, and localised declines in reptile biodiversity have been detected. However, the causes of these declines are likely to be many and will vary among reptiles with different life histories. Fossorial reptiles (those that mainly live below ground) are likely to be particularly vulnerable to soil and ground cover disturbance and yet are little studied in the context of agricultural practices. Here, we test the proposition that habitat disturbance caused by agricultural modification is a good predictor of decline or absence of a fossorial lizard. Specifically, we used boosted regression trees to model the relationship between five habitat factors and site abundance of the threatened Pink-tailed Worm-lizard (Aprasia parapulchella; Pygopodidae). We found that vegetation characteristics were the best predictors of A. parapulchella abundance. In particular, the relative contributions to our model of percentage cover of native large tussock-forming grasses and site floristic score were 46% and 33%, respectively. Other variables that contributed to the explanation of abundance were percentage cover of rocks (10%), number of turnable rocks (5%) and relative density of rocks occupied by ants of the size class known to occur with A. parapulchella (5%). Our findings suggest that agricultural management or restoration strategies that promote ground-layer vegetation characteristic of low levels of modification are likely to be most beneficial for the conservation of this species. Our findings and methods may be applicable to understand and study the presence and abundance of other fossorial or semi-fossorial reptiles with specialised habitat preferences. Further research is required to establish the generality of our findings with respect to other such species around the world.

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“…2007; Mizsei et al . 2020), and this appears to be the case with A. parapulchella . Further research is required to test for this possibility.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2016), and tussocks have even been described as keystone structures (Mizsei et al . 2020). Our findings reinforce these previous findings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Vegetation As a Predictor Of Habitat Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Vegetation Structure and Reptilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Agricultural modification to vegetation drives presence and abundance of a threatened fossorial legless lizard

et al. 2020

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Using multiplatform LiDAR to identify relationships between vegetation structure and the abundance and diversity of woodland reptiles and amphibians

Shokirov,

Jucker,

Levick

et al. 2024

Remote Sens Ecol Conserv

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Remotely sensed measures of vegetation structure have been shown to explain patterns in the occurrence and diversity of several animal taxa, including birds, mammals, and invertebrates. However, very little research in this area has focused on reptiles and amphibians (herpetofauna). Moreover, most remote sensing studies on animal–habitat associations have relied on airborne or satellite data that provide coverage over relatively large areas but may not have the resolution or viewing angle necessary to measure vegetation features at scales that are meaningful to herpetofauna. Here, we combined terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), unmanned aerial vehicle laser scanning (ULS), and fused (FLS) data to provide the first test of whether vegetation structural attributes can help explain variation in herpetofauna abundance, species richness, and diversity across a woodland landscape. We identified relationships between the abundance and diversity of herpetofauna and several vegetation metrics, including canopy height, skewedness, vertical complexity, volume of vegetation, and coarse woody debris. These relationships varied across species, groups, and sensors. ULS models tended to perform as well or better than TLS or FLS models based on the methods we used in this study. In open woodland landscapes, ULS data may have some benefits over TLS data for modeling relationships between herpetofauna and vegetation structure, which we discuss. However, for some species, only TLS data identified significant predictor variables among the LiDAR‐derived structural metrics. While the overall predictive power of models was relatively low (i.e., at most R2 = 0.32 for ULS overall abundance and R2 = 0.32 for abundance at the individual species level [three‐toed skink (Chalcides striatus)]), the ability to identify relationships between specific LiDAR structural metrics and the abundance and diversity of herpetofauna could be useful for understanding their habitat associations and managing reptile and amphibian populations.

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Analysis of mammal mesopredator scat samples indicates significant predation on the endangered Hungarian meadow viper (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis)

et al. 2022

Self Cite

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Animal populations are regulated by multiple factors, e.g. resource availability, diseases and predators. However, these factors can be significantly influenced by anthropogenic effects (e.g. biological invasions, mesopredator release) and either subserve populations or push them towards local extinction. The Hungarian meadow viper Vipera ursinii rakosiensis is an endangered reptile, with only a few surviving populations following recent alterations and fragmentation of their habitats. In Hungary, all documented populations are located within nature conservation areas. Significant practical conservation efforts have been made, including habitat reconstruction and development, as well as ex situ breeding and reintroductions. Nevertheless, the estimated overall population size of Hungarian meadow viper remains very low, and the impact of conservation interventions is practically immeasurable according to low densities. It is hypothesized that predation is the main factor interfering with conservation efforts of the vipers. Here, we analysed the diet of two mammalian predators (European badger and red fox) in a Hungarian meadow viper habitat. We found a high prevalence of viper remains in the processed faecal samples, indicating that a high number of individuals vipers are subject to predation even within a short period of time. We conclude that effective predator control might be necessary to increase the impact of standard conservation measures (e.g. habitat development, ex situ breeding and reintroduction) that target the restoration of Hungarian meadow viper populations.

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Reptile responses to vegetation structure in a grassland restored for an endangered snake

Cited by 19 publications

References 45 publications

Agricultural modification to vegetation drives presence and abundance of a threatened fossorial legless lizard

Agricultural modification to vegetation drives presence and abundance of a threatened fossorial legless lizard

Using multiplatform LiDAR to identify relationships between vegetation structure and the abundance and diversity of woodland reptiles and amphibians

Analysis of mammal mesopredator scat samples indicates significant predation on the endangered Hungarian meadow viper (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis)

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