Date of Award

9-1-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Department

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

First Advisor

William Sutton

Abstract

Coupled with climate change, global biodiversity declines are exacerbated by increasing anthropogenic pressures and ecosystem destruction. Amphibians and reptiles are particularly vulnerable due to their specific and narrow habitat requirements. In Tennessee, the Western Pygmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius streckeri) is classified as Threatened and is primarily associated with floodplains adjacent to early successional habitats (ESH) in the western Interior Plateau ecoregion. These ESH support unique flora and fauna but have declined in recent decades, largely due to urban encroachment and disturbance suppression. Studying snakes is challenging because of their limited activity periods, small home ranges, and low detectability from cryptic coloration, small size, and secretive behavior. To evaluate the importance of ESH for herpetofaunal conservation, we deployed drift-fence and box trap arrays at standardized distances from field edges into forest interiors at three sites, along with road cruising and radio telemetry targeting Pygmy Rattlesnakes. Herpetofaunal communities were strongly influenced by unique physiographic and microhabitat features at each site. Several species were positively associated with edge habitats, though edge effects were complex and shaped by distance, site variation, and annual environmental fluctuations. Pygmy Rattlesnakes selected habitats with abundant coarse woody debris, low basal area, and minimal rock cover within scrub/shrub, ESH, and edge habitats. Future work should continue these methods and incorporate passive sampling to expand study sites across Tennessee. Increasing radiotelemetry sample sizes will allow assessment of how reproductive status affects Pygmy Rattlesnake spatial ecology. Together, these efforts will inform more targeted management strategies for both common and specialist herpetofaunal species.

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