4.3 Wetland Natural Communities
depression communities is likely to be habitat conversion. Habitat conversion occurs for various reasons, including suppression of natural fre regimes, development, and land use changes. Drier basins are destroyed by development or conversion to pine plantations, while wetter ones are degraded by these activities on the surrounding uplands. In pro- tected examples, alteration of hydrology and efects of fre suppression are usually the most serious threats. Climate change is likely to exacerbate existing efects, increasing the number and severity of droughts and increasing the amount of evaporation even in years of normal rainfall. If increased drought and severe weather reduces the ability to conduct prescribed burning, this may reduce fre even in the few examples that are getting burned. With respect to climate change, however, upland pools and their associated species are likely to respond diferently from the surrounding forests. Table 4.23 summarizes the comparison of climate change with other existing threats. 4.3.9.5 Impacts to Wildlife Appendix G contains a list of SGCN and other priority species for which there are knowl- edge gaps and management concerns. Appendix H identifes SGCN and other priority species that depend on or are associated with this habitat type. Members of this community all make use of upland pools for breeding, but make use of foodplain pools as well, at least where they are fairly well isolated from frequent over- bank fooding. Windthrow pits may also be used and Four-toed Salamanders, in particu- lar, make frequent use of seepage habitats. All Piedmont wetland habitats are especially important as breeding sites for amphibian species. Small wetlands can also be important breeding habitat for crayfshes. Wading birds, waterfowl, and songbirds may also use small wetland communities for nesting and feeding areas. While often small in size, cumulatively these habitats provide critical breeding habitat for many amphibian species. Ephemeral and isolated wetlands are very valuable to amphibi- ans because they typically do not support fsh and other predators of amphibian eggs. Te loss of ephemeral wetland communities in the Piedmont has strong ramifcations for future amphibian populations. Amphibians in these communities depend on the surrounding uplands, and populations are lost or much reduced if the surrounding habitat is destroyed or altered. Pool-breeding amphibians that make use of these pools may potentially be as adversely afected by these changes as those associated with upland pools are by increased frequency of drought. Increased road densities are correlated with declines in amphibian diversity and abun- dance (Vos and Chardon 1998; Findlay et al. 2001; Fahrig et al. 1995) . Roads can cause heavy mortality for
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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