Effects of off-road vehicles on reproductive success of pine snakes (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pituophus melanoleucus</Emphasis>) in the New Jersey pinelands |
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Authors: | Joanna Burger Robert T Zappalorti Michael Gochfeld Emile DeVito |
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Institution: | (1) Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8082, USA;(2) Center for Urban Restoration Ecology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA;(3) Herpetological Associates, Inc, Plant and Wildlife Consultants, 575 Toms River Road, Jackson, NJ 08527, USA;(4) Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA;(5) New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Far Hills, NJ 07931, USA |
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Abstract: | Considerable attention has been devoted to the effects of people and their vehicles on birds and mammals, but possible effects
on reptiles in populated areas have received less attention. Moreover, the effects of human activities on reptile reproductive
success itself has been harder to demonstrate. This paper examines the effect of management of off-road vehicles in New Jersey’s
pinelands on the reproductive success of pine snakes (Pituophus melanoleucus) from 1986 to 2005. We used the percentage of snakes in each hibernaculum that were young of the year (hatchlings) as an indicator
of reproductive success, and compared this percent for five hibernacula that were in an area with varying degrees of off-road
vehicle (ORV) disturbance, with 12 hibernacula in areas with no ORV disturbances (reference sites). This percent took into
account differences in absolute numbers from one location to another, and over time due to hibernacula destruction (by people
or predators) and natural variations (food supply). The ORV pressure in the pinelands is intense because it lies within the
most densely populated urban area in the United States. Although the number of snakes in the reference hibernacula varied
over the years from 46 to 63, the percent of young in these hibernacula did not vary significantly over the 20 year period
(21–29%). In contrast, the percent-young in the disturbed sites differed significantly in years without ORV disturbance (28%)
compared to those with ORV disturbance (15 and 16%, P < 0.01). Further, there were no differences between the percent of young in the reference sites and those in the disturbed
site in years without ORV disturbance. ORV disturbance ceased only with the creation of large dirt berms coupled with fences
that could not be easily broken. These data indicate the importance of having detailed population data on pine snakes in hibernacula,
on ORV use (or indications of such use), and of managing ORV use to protect sensitive populations. Maintenance of healthy
pine snake populations in urban areas may require continued adaptive management. |
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Keywords: | Human disturbance Off-road vehicles Reptiles Snakes Hibernating Urban wildlife State parks |
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