Range-wide habitat suitability maps for at-risk species in the longleaf system

The data contained in child items of this page were developed to support the Species Status Assessments conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and conservation planning for State, Federal, and non-government researchers, managers, landowners, and other partners for five focal herpetofauna species: gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus), Florida pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus), gopher frog (Lithobates capito), and striped newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus). These data were developed by the USGS Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Georgia in collaboration with other partners. The three child items contain the following data: (1)...

Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Alabama (AL), Florida (FL), Florida Pine Snake, Georgia (GA), Gopher Frog, All tags... Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, Heterodon simus, Lithobates capito, Louisiana (LA), Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), Notophthalmus perstriatus, Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus, South Carolina (SC), Southeast, Southern Hognose Snake, Striped Newt, USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), amphibians, at-risk species, habitat suitability models, longleaf pine, reptiles, Fewer tags

Southern hognose snake Species Status Assessment data products

The three datasets were used in a model estimating the current and future persistence of 222 populations of southern hognose snakes, as estimated as part of the USFWS Species Status Assessment. Because these datasets contain information about sensitive species at risk of overcollection and harassment, they do not contain any spatial identifying information. The "HESIM_locs" dataset contains a list of southern hognose snake occurrence records with associated year of observation and population ID. The "SEsnakes_locs" dataset contains a list of non-target snake species occurrence records with associated year of observation and population ID. The "HESIM_pops_all" dataset contains a list of southern hognose snake populations...

Categories: Data; Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: 3 Rs, Alabama (AL), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Heterodon simus, All tags... Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), Southeast, Southern Hognose Snake, Species Status Assessment (SSA), USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), at-risk species, longleaf pine, population persistence, Fewer tags

Expert-Informed Habitat Suitability Analysis for At-Risk Species Assessment and Conservation Planning

Abstract (from Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management): The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is responsible for reviewing the biological status of hundreds of species to determine federal status designations under the Endangered Species Act. The longleaf pine Pinus palustris ecological system supports many priority at-risk species designated for review, including five species of herpetofauna: gopher tortoise Gopherus polyphemus, southern hognose snake Heterodon simus, Florida pine snake Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus, gopher frog Lithobates (Rana) capito, and striped newt Notophthalmus perstriatus. To inform status decisions and conservation planning, we developed habitat suitability models to 1) identify...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation

Using ancillary data to model the terrestrial distribution of gopher frogs

Abstract (from WileyOnline): An inherent challenge in managing rare or cryptic species is data deficiency. For this reason, ancillary data is a potentially valuable resource for generating key population estimates for priority species. We compiled ancillary commensal data collected between 1982 and 2020 during surveys of gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrows to estimate the terrestrial distribution of gopher frogs (Rana capito) from potential breeding wetlands. Gopher frogs were detected in gopher tortoise burrows 30‒3,879 m from identified wetlands. A global model of all records from all sites indicated that the probability of a gopher frog residing in a gopher tortoise burrow declined with increasing distance...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation

Range-wide habitat suitability maps for at-risk species in the longleaf system - raster version

The raster data in the geodatabase represent range-wide habitat suitability model predictions for five species of herpetofauna: gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus), Florida pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus), gopher frog (Lithobates capito), and striped newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus). Collectively, the habitat suitability rasters extend across the range of these species in the Southeast US, including areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. This assessment was conducted by the USGS Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Georgia in collaboration with other partners. Habitat suitability...

Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Alabama (AL), Florida (FL), Florida Pine Snake, Georgia (GA), Gopher Frog, All tags... Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, Heterodon simus, Lithobates capito, Louisiana (LA), Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), Notophthalmus perstriatus, Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus, South Carolina (SC), Southeast, Southern Hognose Snake, Striped Newt, amphibians, at-risk species, habitat suitability models, longleaf pine, reptiles, Fewer tags

Estimating population persistence for at-risk species using citizen science data

Abstract (from ELSEVIER) Population persistence probability is valuable for characterizing risk to species and informing listing and conservation decisions but is challenging to estimate through traditional methods for rare, data-limited species. Modeling approaches have used citizen science data to mitigate data limitations of focal species and better estimate parameters such as occupancy and detection, but their use to estimate persistence and inform conservation decisions is limited. We developed an approach to estimate persistence using only occurrence records of the target species and citizen science occurrence data of non-target species to account for search effort and imperfect detection. We applied the...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation; Tags: Bayesian inference, Conservation planning, Endangered species listing decisions, Extinction probability, Forests, All tags... Landscapes, Other Wildlife, Southeast CASC, Southeast CASC, Southern Hognose Snake, Species status assessment, Wildlife and Plants, Fewer tags

Expert responses of influential habitat attributes for at-risk species

A full discussion of the compilation methodology and sources used to develop this data is available in the accompanying publication: Crawford, B.A., J.C. Maerz, & C.T. Moore. 2019. Expert-informed habitat suitability analysis for at-risk species assessment and conservation planning. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management. in review.

Categories: Data; Tags: Florida pine snake, Gopher Tortoise, Gopher frog, Gopherus polyphemus, Heterodon simus, All tags... Lithobates capito, Notophthalmus perstriatus, Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus, Southern hognose snake, Striped newt, at-risk species, expert elicitation, Fewer tags

Range-wide habitat suitability maps for at-risk species in the longleaf system - polygon version

The polygon data in the geodatabase represent range-wide habitat suitability model predictions for five species of herpetofauna: gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus), Florida pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus), gopher frog (Lithobates capito), and striped newt (Notophthalmus perstriatus). Collectively, the habitat suitability polygons extend across the range of these species in the Southeast US, including areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. This assessment was conducted by the USGS Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Georgia in collaboration with other partners. Habitat suitability...

Types: Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Alabama (AL), Florida (FL), Florida Pine Snake, Georgia (GA), Gopher Frog, All tags... Gopher Tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, Heterodon simus, Lithobates capito, Louisiana (LA), Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), Notophthalmus perstriatus, Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus, South Carolina (SC), Southeast, Southern Hognose Snake, Striped Newt, amphibians, at-risk species, habitat suitability models, longleaf pine, reptiles, Fewer tags

Final Project Memorandum for Providing Science for the Conservation of Animals in the Southeastern Longleaf Pine Ecosystem

The longleaf pine ecosystem in the southeastern U.S. supports several “at-risk” species that are currently undergoing status reviews by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to determine if they are threatened or endangered due to habitat loss and other threats. These include five reptile and amphibian species that are the focus of this work: the gopher tortoise, gopher frog, striped newt, southern hognose snake, and Florida pine snake. Their ranges occur within the Coastal Plain region of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Conservation partners are grappling with decisions about how best to improve the statuses of these species before declines are irreversible,...