Herpetology at BNL and the Upton Ecological & Research Reserve

The Central Pine Barrens (CPB), located on Long Island (New York) represents one of the last remaining tracts of undeveloped land east of New York City. The CPB is comprised of a 100,000-acre patchwork of preserves, parks, and other undeveloped land parcels. The CPB represents one of the last strongholds of biodiversity on Long Island as well as the greater NY metropolitan region. Many species that are uncommon, rare, or extirpated elsewhere in the region find safe refuge among the sandy soils, scrublands, forests, and wetlands of the CPB.

Nowhere can a better example of this be found than among the reptiles and amphibians of the CPB (collectively known as herpetofauna or “herps”). Lacking the flying ability of insects, birds, and bats or the ability to walk, run, or swim long distances like many mammals and fishes, most herps do not move very far and cannot easily migrate far distances to safe places. Thus, reptiles and amphibians tend to decline in areas where large-scale, wholesale habitat destruction has occurred or is occurring.  Additionally, factors such as their common need for wetland habitat (for breeding, feeding, hibernating) and vulnerable developmental stages (including eggs and highly vulnerable larval, hatchling, and juvenile forms) also contribute to the survival pressures faced by herps.

Despite the adversities faced by many urban and suburban herp populations, localized populations can often persist where pockets of natural areas provide ample habitat, space, food, and good environmental quality. In the CPB, an excellent example of one such area is the Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). This 5,265-acre facility, located on the western fringe of the CPB hosts many diverse habitats and provides biologists with countless herpetological research opportunities. Beginning with the inception of the Upton Ecological & Research Reserve (UERR) in 2000, a partnership between BNL and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was formed and herpetological research soon became a major priority at BNL. Early on, research activities were initially aimed at developing a better understanding of the baseline ecology, health, and abundance of species, populations, and metapopulations at BNL. This information is currently being incorporated into GIS systems that will allow for thorough and precise spatial analyses. As more and more baseline data gets collected, our herpetological studies are shifting towards more advanced research that includes radio telemetry studies, reintroductions, drift-fence analyses, and multiple undergraduate and graduate-level research projects.

Despite the numerous projects concurrently being conducted at BNL and UERR, one constant remains true - an unwavering emphasis on conservation, species ecology, and beneficial applications of wildlife management.

The pages that follow in this website will provide the reader with a more detailed look into the past, present, and future research being conducted through the BNL/UERR program. It also provide a list of species present at BNL and accounts of their general attributes as well as information regarding our research staff and students.

See left menu bar for more options within the Herpetology website.

 

For questions or comments please contact: Jeremy Feinberg or Tim Green.