Relationships of snake communities with riparian habitat variables in agricultural headwater stream corridors in central Ohio

Authors: Smiley, Peter - Rocky; Barrie, Kaitlyn

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/3/2020
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Stream corridors serve as important habitats for snakes and other reptiles and they are often the only non-cropland habitats available within agricultural watersheds in the Midwestern United States. Information on snake community-habitat relationships within agricultural stream corridors is limited and is needed to help develop agricultural watershed management strategies. Our research question is what are the relationships of snake community structure with riparian habitat variables in agricultural headwater stream corridors in central Ohio? We collected snakes with wood cover boards placed within riparian habitats of 10 sites in five channelized agricultural headwater streams and four sites in two unchannelized agricultural headwater streams in the Upper Big Walnut Creek watershed from June to September of 2018 and 2019. We measured riparian width, percent canopy cover, woody vegetation density, vegetative structure, abundance and diversity of natural cover, air temperature, and percent humidity from each site. Our preliminary analysis indicated that snake species richness, abundance, and percent eastern garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) were negatively correlated (P < 0.05) with natural cover diversity and abundance. We also observed that snake abundance and percent eastern garter snakes were negatively correlated (P < 0.05) with percent canopy cover. Our preliminary results highlight the importance of natural cover and percent canopy cover as determinants of snake community structure within agricultural headwater stream corridors.