title: Perceptions of Species Abundance, Distribution, and Diversity:Lessons from Four Decades of Sampling on a Government-Managed Reserve
abstract: / We examined data relative to species abundance, distribution, anddiversity patterns of reptiles and amphibians to determine how perceptionschange over time and with level of sampling effort. Location data werecompiled on more than one million individual captures or observations of 98species during a 44-year study period on the US Department of Energy's(DOE) Savannah River Site National Environmental Research Park (SRS-NERP) inSouth Carolina. We suggest that perceptions of herpetofaunal speciesdiversity are strongly dependent on level of effort and that land managementdecisions based on short-term data bases for some faunal groups could resultin serious errors in environmental management. We provide evidence thatacquiring information on biodiversity distribution patterns is compatiblewith multiyear spatially extensive research programs and also provide aperspective of what might be achieved if long-term, coordinated researchefforts were instituted nationwide.To conduct biotic surveys on government-managed lands, we recommend revisionsin the methods used by government agencies to acquire and report biodiversitydata. We suggest that government and industry employees engaged inbiodiversity survey efforts develop proficiency in field identification forone or more major taxonomic groups and be encouraged to measure the status ofpopulations quantitatively with consistent and reliable methodologies. Wealso suggest that widespread academic cooperation in the dissemination ofinformation on regional patterns of biodiversity could result byestablishment of a peer-reviewed, scientifically rigorous journal concernedwith status and trends of the biota of the United States. KEY WORDS: Abundance; Amphibian; Biodiversity; Distribution; Landmanagement; Reptile
authors.affiliation: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University ofGeorgia, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802, USA
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lovich
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Semlitsch
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Tuberville
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bodie
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Greene
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Niewiarowski
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Whiteman
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.initials: JHK
authors.lastname: Pechmann
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Bennett
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Krenz
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Buhlmann
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Seigel
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Tucker
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lamb
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Dorcas
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Congdon
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Dietsch
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Hanlin
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ott
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Karapatakis