28th Annual Student Research Conference
The Effects of Habitat Management on a Reptile Community in Northeast Missouri
Michael D. Essmyer
Dr. Chad Montgomery, Faculty Mentor
Abstract Big Creek Conservation Area, Adair County, Missouri is a 175 hectare area consisting of short-grass prairie, savannah, and forest which is managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). The MDC has implemented management practices including food plots, selective logging, mowing, controlled burns, and removal of invasive plant species by physical and chemical means. My objective was to determine the effects of habitat management practices on the snake lizard community structure, including species richness, evenness and abundance in Big Creek. This information will contribute to our understanding of the effect of macrohabitat type and management on the reptile community structure and be useful to the MDC for refining their management practices at Big Creek Conservation Area. In most species I found little significance due to small sample sizes. For the family Scincidae general inferences of habitat preferences show that they prefer ecotones, specifically between forests and open grasslands.
Keywords: Ecology, Conservation, Management, Reptiles
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 107-3
Location: MG 2001
Time: 8:30