Chapter 3 North Carolina Species
invasive vegetation can also be effective. Typically, greater numbers of species of amphibians use ponds following restoration. For example, two wetlands restored in the Sandhills by the NCWRC exhibited greater numbers of species after restoration than before. One pond supported only three species of amphibians prior to restoration efforts, and none were SGCN. After management work was conducted, 12 species of amphibians were detected using the wetland, including two SGCN species (Pine Barrens Treefrog and Eastern Tiger Salamander) (NCWRC unpublished) . Another pond also supported only three species (none SGCN) prior to work, and nine species after, including two SGCN species (Pine Barrens Treefrog and Oak Toad) (NCWRC unpublished) . Additional management information can be found in a PARC technical publication on habitat management for amphibians and reptiles in the Southeast (Bailey et al. 2006) and is available online: http://separc.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/se-hmg.pdf. 3.2.6 Threats and Problems Chapter 5 describes 11 categories of threats the Amphibian Taxa Team considered during evaluation and ranking process to identify SGCN. Evaluation results for Metric 9 about the expected scope and severity of these threats are available in Appendix 5, as noted below. The most likely threats to have very high impacts on amphibian populations in North Carolina over the next 10 years include the following: • Climate change and severe weather (see Appendix 5, Table 5.12-1) • Residential and commercial development (see Appendix 5, Table 5.3-1) • Agriculture and aquaculture (see Appendix 5, Table 5.4-1) • Natural system modifications (e.g., fire suppression, land management activities) (see Appendix 5, Table 5.9-1) Anthropogenic impacts that result in habitat loss and degradation are one of the most important threats to amphibian populations (Willson and Dorcas 2003) . Amphibian declines may correlate with declines of other species, especially those utilizing wetlands. Amphibians are also indicators for anthropogenic stressors that can have broader health and biodiversity implications to an ecosystem (Lannoo 2005; Bosch and Rincon 2008) . Research related to these threats and their impacts on certain amphibian species was ranked during Taxa Team evaluations as a high priority. Section 3.2.8 provides priority conservation recommendations that include measures that address these threats.
3 - 25
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator