Ecological Relationships and Succession in an Urban South Florida Herpetofaunal Community during 2006–2021: A Case Study

Abstract

Visual encounter surveys comprised a case study of urban ecology conducted along a 3.22 km sidewalk loop in a residential development in southern Florida during March 2006–June 2021. The Nautica, a gated residential development, was completed in the early 2000s and initial investigations of the herpetofauna began shortly thereafter. Species accumulation was rapid, with 10 native and 13 exotic species comprising the herpetofaunal community. The construction of Nautica occurred on a highly modified habitat in which many native species were marginalized and several exotic species, also already there, could take advantage of the subsequent structural and hydrological changes culminating in the creation of this subdivision. Colonization patterns, persistence, and abundance varied widely among species. Measurement of abiotic factors associated with standardized focal surveys provided information to predict the likelihoods of activity by members of the herpetofaunal community and the detection of interspecific interactions that affect their activity patterns. Exotic-species-dominated artificial systems are commonplace in southern Florida and bring with them a conservation need for awareness to understand the ways in which residential species interact with and impact their environment and other species, including avian predators and feral cats. To that end, in the nearly two decades since the construction of Nautica, the native terrestrial herpetofauna has remained depauperate, while exotic counterparts underwent accelerated colonization patterns, with one species possibly contributing to the persistence of a native lizard.