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Brian
S. Metts, David E. Scott, and J. Whitfield Gibbons
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Savannah
River Ecology Laboratory
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The
University of Georgia; Aiken, SC 29802
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Ecologists
generally recognize the value of seasonal wetlands, but these wetlands are often
ignored in landscape management decisions and practices, including golf course
design. We sampled the amphibians and reptiles that use wetland habitats on
five golf courses for three years in South Carolina and Georgia, and compared
these survey data to concurrent surveys at ten nearby (off-course) seasonal
wetlands. Two of the courses sampled have on-course seasonal wetlands, which
allowed us to compare amphibian diversity on these courses to the other three
courses that do not have seasonal wetlands. |
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Permanent
wetlands were more numerous than seasonal wetlands on the golf courses we sampled.
However, greater amphibian species richness occurred at both off-course and
on-course seasonal wetlands compared to golf course permanent lakes and ponds—26
species were sampled at comparison seasonal wetlands, 16 species at the two
courses with seasonal wetlands, and 11 species at the three courses with only
permanent water. Most of the course wetlands harbored numerous fish species,
and these wetlands contained only the few amphibian species that can tolerate
fish. The difference between the species lists for golf courses with and without
seasonal wetlands results primarily from the presence of amphibian species that
“prefer” fish-free wetlands on the courses that have seasonal wetlands,
such as Ambystoma opacum (marbled salamander), Ambystoma maculatum
(spotted salamander), and Gastrophryne carolinensis (eastern narrowmouth
toad). These results demonstrate that the incorporation of seasonal wetlands
into the design of the golf-course landscape would enhance amphibian biodiversity. |
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Seasonal
wetlands
generally hold water for only part of the year. In the
Southeast these wetlands usually fill with rains in late autumn and early winter,
and often remain filled through early summer. |
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Carolina
bays are one type of isolated seasonal wetland that is present on the southeastern
Coastal Plain. Of the thousands of Carolina bays that once dotted the landscape
in South Carolina, most have been severely altered and degraded—fewer than
200 remain relatively intact. |
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Golf
courses often have ample wetland habitats, but typically these are permanent
lakes and ponds. |
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Thanks
to the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation (NFWF) for partial support of this research through the Wildlife
Links Program. |
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Downloadable
PDF version of this poster
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