Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Dorn, Nathan

Abstract

Many herpetofaunal species are imperiled, and the causes of this are often a synergy of multiple factors. In wetlands specifically, two of the possible determinants of species occurrence and faunal community assemblage are fish presence and wetland permanence, which are not always correlated. Twenty wetlands were sampled in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Florida, USA to observe how wetland herpetofaunal communities vary with fish, wetland permanence and other environmental factors. Herpetofaunal communities with and without fish were significantly different from one another and differences between herpetofaunal communities were primarily due to the contribution of four species of frogs, two generalist ranids and two specialist hylids. Wetland permanence had no observable effect on community structure. Fishless wetlands were significantly more species-rich and possessed higher numbers of individuals even for species that occurred in both fishless and fish wetlands, regardless of their permanence. These findings have implications for wetlands restoration and herpetofaunal conservation.

Extent

74 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00004203

Format

pdf

Download

Share

COinS