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Effects of off-road vehicles on reproductive success of pine snakes (Pituophus melanoleucus) in the New Jersey pinelands

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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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Acknowledgments

We thank the many graduate students, Herpetological Associates employees, and others who have helped with our pine snake “dig” each year, including Bill Boarman, Bill Calahan, Joe DeVito, Carline Dixon, Susan Elbin, Jeremy Feinberg, Steve Garber, Debbie and David Gochfeld, Chris Jeitner, Dave Jenkins, Matt McCort, Brian Palestis, Robert Ramos, Carl Safina, Jorge Saliva, Dave Schneider, Sheila Shukla, Mike Torocco, Nellie Tsipoura, and others too numerous to mention. I also thank the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Endangered and NonGame Program), the New Jersey Department of Parks for permits to conduct this research and individual land owners for permission to work with the snakes. This research was partly funded by Herpetological Associates, the Tiko fund, and NIEHS (ESO 5022).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Life Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-8082, USA

    Joanna Burger

  2. Center for Urban Restoration Ecology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08903, USA

    Joanna Burger & Michael Gochfeld

  3. Herpetological Associates, Inc, Plant and Wildlife Consultants, 575 Toms River Road, Jackson, NJ, 08527, USA

    Robert T. Zappalorti

  4. Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

    Michael Gochfeld

  5. New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Far Hills, NJ, 07931, USA

    Emile DeVito

Authors
  1. Joanna Burger
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  2. Robert T. Zappalorti
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  3. Michael Gochfeld
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  4. Emile DeVito
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joanna Burger.

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Burger, J., Zappalorti, R.T., Gochfeld, M. et al. Effects of off-road vehicles on reproductive success of pine snakes (Pituophus melanoleucus) in the New Jersey pinelands. Urban Ecosyst 10, 275–284 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-007-0022-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-007-0022-y

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