Natural Resources Research & Management
Natural Resources Research & Management
In Georgia’s Coastal Plain, temporary, isolated wetlands are an integral component to the ecosystem and provide open-canopy, herbaceous habitat for native species. Many amphibians, such as the gopher frog (Rana capito) and striped newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus), seek a moist underground refuge in summer, relying on seasonal rainfall to inundate wetlands for breeding opportunities in the cooler months.
When filled with water, these wetlands provide a safe, nutrient–rich environment for amphibians to reproduce, making them essential for maintaining healthy populations. Furthermore, the ephemeral, or temporary, nature of these habitats is important for preventing predatory fish from establishing, while simultaneously shaping vegetative structure. Similar to the gopher frog and striped newt, a variety of wetland plant species are specifically adapted to utilize this habitat, forming pockets of unique and dense biodiversity across the forested landscape.
Changes in land use and long-term fire suppression promote hardwood encroachment and a trend towards woody plant dominance, which is detrimental to amphibian and plant species adapted to open-canopy, herbaceous systems. Additionally, the gopher frog, striped newt, and a handful of plant species are now considered to be species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) in Georgia. In response, GADNR initiated a wetland protocol in 2019 using chemical control and mechanical removal for unwanted vegetation as well as returning fire to the landscape via prescribed fire. Similarly, The Jones Center at Ichauway mechanically removed hardwoods and undesirable woody vegetation at 10 of their wetlands in 2018. Other Center wetlands are acting as reference sites which serve as a restoration guide. To gauge success of these actions and inform future management, graduate student Jade Samples, co-advised through the University of Georgia (UGA) and The Jones Center, is leading a project collecting and analyzing long-term monitoring data of amphibian diversity and plant communities at restored wetlands.
To measure amphibian diversity Jade’s using Automated Recording Devices (ARDs) to record frog calls and wetland dip-netting surveys, which when combined provide a strong indication of species presence and potential breeding, or lack thereof. For plant communities, Jade and research technician, Mia Cinello-Smith, are conducting belt-transect surveys in the wetlands. Jade is injecting the amphibian and plant community data into Bayesian model, which will predict future responses of amphibian and plant communities to wetland restoration.
While recent restoration has improved wetlands across the state, many striped newt populations were extirpated (extinction limited to a local geographic area) or significantly reduced prior to management action. Therefore, additional steps must be taken to meet population management goals. Captive-rearing, repatriation, and translocations are common methods to reintroduce wildlife populations in a targeted area. The second facet of Jade’s project is studying the effects of utilizing a “soft-release” method as a means to repatriate striped newts in a single wetland. Approximately 120 striped newts were brought to The Jones Center from captive-rearing facilities at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. After initial processing, Jade released the newts in mesh enclosures placed in the wetland. The intent behind this “soft-release” is to allow the animals to acclimate to new surroundings prior to full release, in hopes of boosting survival and ultimately leading to successful reestablishment of striped newt populations, which have not been documented on Ichauway since the mid-2000s. Through monitoring different densities of newts in soft-release enclosures, Jade hopes to answer density-dependent questions including survival and growth that will help inform striped newt conservation regionally.
Jade’s extraordinary effort to improve wetland biodiversity conservation in Georgia follows the work of several former graduate students in a concerted effort with GADNR, UGA, The Jones Center and others to maintain a robust management regime for sensitive wetland species across the state.
All wetland and amphibian surveys were conducted with appropriate permits.
Read more about the work of The Jones Center at Ichauway’s Herpetology Lab.
