There have been almost no surveys of herpetofauna at 109 km2 Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR) or surrounding counties in northwestern North Dakota, an area possibly undergoing significant environmental change from fossil fuel extraction and use. We used 30 m drift fences to survey amphibian and reptile species in prairie-wetland transition zones at LNWR during mid-May to early-July in 1985 to 1987, and again in 1999 and 2000. We captured only four amphibian and two reptilian species and noted one other reptilian species incidental to our survey. Several species expected to occur in the area were not detected

Danley, Robert F.

Moore, Patricia K.

Murphy, Robert K.

English

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln The Prairie Naturalist Great Plains Natural Science Society 12-2006 Amphibians and Reptiles in a Mixed-Grass Prairie in Northwestern North Dakota Robert K. Murphy University of Nebraska at Kearney, murphyrk@unk.edu Robert F. Danley Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge Patricia K. Moore University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tpn  Part of the Biodiversity Commons, Botany Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Systems Biology Commons, and the Zoology Commons Murphy, Robert K.; Danley, Robert F.; and Moore, Patricia K., "Amphibians and Reptiles in a Mixed-Grass Prairie in Northwestern North Dakota" (2006). The Prairie Naturalist. 484. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tpn/484 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Natural Science Society at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Prairie Naturalist by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Amphibians and Reptiles in a Mixed­Grass Prairie in Northwestern North Dakota ROBERT K. MURPHY', ROBERT F. DANLEY2, and PATRJCIA K. MOORE3 United States Fish and Wildlife Service-Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 8315 Highway 8, Kenmare, ND 58746 (RKM and RFD) College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, WI 54481 (PKM) ABSTRACT -- There have been almost no surveys of herpetofauna at I 09 km2 Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR) or surrounding counties in northwest­ern North Dakota, an area possibly undergoing significant environmental change from fossil fuel extraction and use. We used 30 m drift fences to survey amphibian and reptile species in prairie-wetland transition zones at LNWR during mid-May to early-July in 1985 to 1987, and again in 1999 and 2000. We captured only four amphibian and two reptilian species and noted one other reptilian species incidental to our survey. Several species expected to occur in the area were not detected. Key words: amphibians, biological diversity, Great Plains, mixed-grass prairie, North Dakota, reptiles, wildlife refuges. Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR) in northwestern North Dakota is the most extensive, publicly owned tract of native prairie pothole habitat in the northern Great Plains region. Surprisingly, little is known of reptiles and amphibians in the refuge and surrounding counties and it is unclear how these fauna! elements might respond to significant environmental changes in the area. 1Corresponding author. Current address: Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE 68849. E-mail address: murphyrk@unk.edu 2Current address: Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 247, Stevensville, MT 59870. 3Current address: P.O. Box 737, Rye, CO 81069. 208 The Prairie Naturalist 38(4): December 2006 Class I air quality must be maintained in the refuge's 2257 ha Wilderness Area (United States Fish and Wildlife Service 1998). Although air and water quality data collected at LNWR during the late l 980's and early I 990's did not indicate elevated levels of pollutants associated with the fossil fuel industry (Smith et al. 1999), unusually high levels of methylmercury were documented recently in refuge wetlands (K. Johnson, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Bismarck, North Dakota, and D. Krabbenhoft, United States Geological Survey, Middleton, Wiscon­sin, unpublished data). Here we report relative abundances of amphibian and reptilian species in prairie-wetland transition areas characteristic of LNWR. Our goal was simply to help substantiate baseline refuge resources in the face of possible broad ecological changes and to improve on the limited knowledge of faunal distributions in northwestern North Dakota. STUDY AREA and METHODS LNWR covers I 09 km2 of rolling to hilly moraine in Burke and Mountrail counties, North Dakota (48°37' N; 102°27' W). Wetlands, covering 20% of the refuge, are numerous (x = 40 basins/km2); they vary markedly in area, hydroperiod, and salinity. Uplands are mostly native needlegrass-wheatgrass association (Stipa-Agropyron; Coupland 1950), although one-fourth of uplands are composed of previously cropped fields revegetated with native and introduced species of plants. Area climate is semi-arid, with nearly one-half of the mean annual precipitation of 42 cm falling as rain in May to July. Annual precipitation was average to below average (46, 45, and 31 cm) during our 1985 to 1987 sampling period but was above average (73 and 70 cm) during 1999 to 2000 sampling (United States Fish and Wildlife Service, unpublished data). We used drift fences (Gibbons and Semlitsch 1981, Vogt and Hine 1982) to survey reptiles and amphibians. Tn spring 1985, we established five drift fence sites in representative mesic prairie communities, 0.8 to 1.4 km apait across the center ofLNWR and 0.1 to 3.3 km south of the refuge's Wilderness Area. Each of the five sites included two 30 m drift fences, 50 to 80 m apart. We installed each drift fence parallel to and between borders of xeric prairie and a nearby (2 to 25 m away) seasonal or semipermanent wetland. Each drift fence consisted of partly buried, 0.6 m tall aluminum flashing with a 0.3 x 0.3 x 0.8 m long, 0.6 cm mesh funnel trap in the center and a total of eight 20 1 pitfall traps with funnel rims. Pitfalls were paired on either side of the fence, at both fence ends and midway between fence ends and the funnel trap (modification of Fig. 17b in Vogt and Hine [ 1982]). Drift fences were checked every 2 to 3 days and operated continuously from mid-May through early-July. We maintained 3 to 6 cm of water in pitfall traps to keep amphibians alive. Specimens were identified and released 2 to 3 m on the side of the fence opposite that where captured. Murphy et al.: Herpetofauna of a mixed-grass prairie 209 For each species and sampling year, we calculated relative abundance as the mean number of individuals captured/100 drift fence days, where one drift fence day represented 15 m of drift fence open for 24 hr (Vogt and Hine 1982). We broadly classified species relative abundance based on total of years of occurrence and mean captures/ I 00 drift fence days/sampling period: ( I )  common - all years, mean number of individuals captured/period greater than 5.0; (2) uncommon - all years in at least one sampling period, mean number captured/period 0.2 to 5.0. RES UL TS and DISCUSSION We recorded only four amphibian species and two reptilian species (Table 1). Variable annual occmTence and abundance of western chorus frog (Pseudacris triseriata) and tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) in drift fences appeared related mainly to water conditions in local wetlands; relatively minor variation in weather and precipitation strongly influence the population ecology of herpetofauna (e.g., Semlitsch 1985). Northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) was uncommon during the first sampling period but was not detected despite greater precipitation levels during the second sampling period. Western chorus frog was the most abundant amphibian, due in part to a high number of captures (n = 639) during 3 days in late June 1999, which likely represented the emergence of recently metamorphosed juveniles. Tiger salamander was caught each year and was particularly common in 1987. The initial appearance of the wood frog (R. sylvatica) in 1999 and 2000 probably reflected local distributional change. The first record of wood frog in western North Dakota occurred about 17 km northeast of LNWR in I 984, followed by records on the northeastern boundary of LNWR in I 986, then about 3 km fmther south and west of the refuge in 1987 (Murphy 1987). By the mid-1990's, the species could be heard calling from seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands over the entire refuge on warm April evenings (Robert K. Murphy, personal observation). Plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix) was uncommon throughout the study, whereas smooth greensnake (Opheodrys vernalis) was rare, captured only in 1986. Perhaps smooth greensnake was represented poorly because some individuals might have escaped through the relatively large, 0.6 x 0.6 cm diameter mesh of our funnel traps. The species is observed infrequently in the area (Robert K. Murphy, personal observation). Painted turtle ( Chtysemys picta) was not detected in drift fences but a specimen was recorded incidental to our study near the center of LNWR in 1987 (Robert K. Murphy and United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Kenmare, North Dakota, unpublished data). Several reptilian and amphibian species were expected on the basis of distributional range maps but were not detected. We did not detect red-sided garter snake (T. sirtalis; nearest records 25 km east, and 25 km southwest of LNWR), Table 1. Relative abundances of amphibian and reptilian species in areas of transition between upland mixed-grass prairie and seasonal or semi-permanent wetland at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, northwestern North Dakota, based on the mean capture rate among five drift fence sampling sites during mid-May to early-July. Total numbers of individuals captured are in parentheses. Mean± SE no. individuals captured/I 00 drift fence daysa Species 1985 1986 1987 x 1999 2000 x Tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) 0.5 ± 0.4 0.9 ± 0.4 5.2 ± 2.3 2.2 0.8 ± 0.4 0.8 ± 0.3 0.8 (5) (9) (52) (7) (7) Western chorus frog (Pseudacris triseriata) 1.0 ± 0.4 3.9 ± 0.8 7.7 ± 3.4 4.2 79.0 ± 43.7 2.4 ± 0.9 40.7 (10) (39) (77) (711) (21) Northern leopard frog (Rana pipens) 8.0±6.0 0.9 ± 0.4 0.3 ± 0.2 3.1 0 0 0 (80) (9) (3) Wood frog (R. sylvatica) 0 0 0 0 0.3 ± 0.1 0.2 ± 0.1 0.3 (3) (2) Plains gartersnake (Thamnophis radix) 0.3 ± 0.2 1.4±0.7 1.5 ± 0.2 I. I 0.2± 0.1 2.1 ± 0.4 1.2 (3) (14) (15) (2) (18) Smooth greensnake (Opheod,ys vernalis) 0 0.3 ± 0.2 0 0.1 0 0 0 (3) n sampling days 50 50 50 45 43 n 15 111 drift fence days l000 1000 l000 900 860 "Abundance for each species was calculated at each drift fence site annually as the total number of individuals captured/I 00 drift fence days. One drift fence day= 15 m of drift fence open for 24 hr (Vogt and Hine 1982). Thus, two 30 m drift fences at each of the five sites yielded four 15 m drift fence days every 24 hr. N - 0 � n:, � ::;· �- � i:l � .. i:::, ('I) ('I) 0 0 Murphy et al.: He,petofauna of a mixed-grass prairie 211 western hog-nosed snake (Heterodon nasicus; nearest record I 00 km southeast of LNWR), or any of three Bufo spp. (nearest records I 00 km southeast of LNWR; Wheeler and Wheeler 1966). There have been no incidental observations of any of these five species at LNWR despite multiple biological investigations in the l 980's and I 990's. We are unsure why, except that sandy soils needed by the western hog-nosed snake and Great Plains toad (Bufo cognatus) are unavailable at LNWR, and red-sided garter snake tends to be associated with woodland more than prairie at northern latitudes (Russell and Bauer 1993). Our baseline data suggest a relatively limited diversity of reptilian and amphibian species occurred in mixed-grass prairie characteristic of LNWR during a 3 year sampling period (1985 to 1987) that overlapped years of acceptable Class I air quality standards at the refuge. We failed to detect one of these species, the northern leopard frog, during a subsequent sampling period ( 1999 to 2000). This change was not readily explained by differences in precipitation levels between sampling periods. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank J. Albertson and A. Fossum-Coveny for helping us monitor drift fences. W. Meeks, R. Newman, and R. Seabloom commented on manuscript drafts. LITERATURE CITED Coupland, R. T. 1950. Ecology of mixed prairie in Canada. Ecological Monographs 20:271-315. Gibbons, J. W., and R. D. Semlitsch. 1981. Terrestrial drift fences with pitfall traps: an effective technique for quantitative sampling of animal populations. Brimleyana 7:1-16. Murphy, R. K. 1987. Observations of the wood frog in northwestern North Dakota. Prairie Naturalist 19:262. Russell, A. P., and A. M. Bauer. 1993. The amphibians and reptiles of Alberta. University of Calgary Press, Calgary, Albe1ta, and University of Alberta Press, Edmonton, Alberta. Semlitsch, R. D. 1985. Analysis of climatic factors influencing migrations of Ambystoma talpoideum. Copeia 2:477-489. Smith, K. A., T. L. Shaffer, N. H. Euliss, D. A. Buhl, W. E. Newton, and D. W. Mushet. 1999. Ambient air quality, precipitation chemistry, and wetland chemistry at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota 1986-1991. United States National Park Service, Air Resources Division and United States Geo­logical Survey, Biological Resources Division, Final lnteragency Report No. IA2350-96-0005. 212 The Prairie Naturalist 38(4): December 2006 United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 1998. Comprehensive conservation plan: Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Kenmare, North Dakota. Vogt, R. C., and R. L. Hine. 1982. Evaluation of techniques for assessment of amphibian and reptile populations in Wisconsin. Pp 201-217 in U.S. Herpetological communities: a symposium of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and the Herpetologists' League (N. J. Scott, editor). United States Fish and Wildlife Service Research Report 13. Wheeler, G. C., and J. Wheeler. 1966. The amphibians and reptiles of North Dakota. University of North Dakota Press, Grand Forks, North Dakota. Received: 8 November 2004 Accepted: 6 January 2007 

Amphibians and Reptiles in a Mixed-Grass Prairie in Northwestern North Dakota

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Amphibians and Reptiles in a Mixed-Grass Prairie in Northwestern North Dakota

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