ARS | Publication request: Design and Management Criteria for Fish, Amphibian, and Reptile Communities Within Created Agricultural Wetlands

Submitted to: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 2, 2010
Publication Date: July 7, 2010
Citation: Smiley, P.C., Allred, B.J. 2010. Design and Management Criteria for Fish, Amphibian, and Reptile Communities Within Created Agricultural Wetlands. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Abstract # 0315.

Technical Abstract: Design and management criteria for created agricultural wetlands in the midwestern United States typically focus on maximizing the ability to process agricultural runoff. Ecological benefits for fish, amphibian, and reptiles are often secondary considerations. One example of this water quality focus is exhibited by the wetland-reservoir subirrigation system (WRSIS) in northwestern Ohio. WRSIS is a agricultural water recycling system having one created wetland designed to process agricultural chemicals (filtration wetlands) and one created wetland designed to store subirrigation water (reservoir wetlands). Our objective was to compare fish, amphibian, and reptile communities between WRSIS wetland types to gain insights on how the created wetlands could be designed and managed to benefit fishes, amphibians, and reptiles. Fishes, amphibians, and reptiles were sampled by seining, hoop netting, and gee minnow trapping in three filtration wetlands and three reservoir wetlands in June of 2006, 2007, and 2008. A blocked two factor ANOVA coupled with the Tukey test was used to determine if differences in community structure occurred between wetland types and years. No difference in species richness, abundance, or percent reptiles occurred between wetland types. Percent amphibians was greater in filtration than reservoir wetlands. Percent fishes was greater in reservoir than filtration wetlands. Jaccard’s similarity index scores ranged from 0 to 0.5 and indicated species composition was different between wetland types. Our results suggest the design and management of WRSIS wetlands needs to be altered so the filtration wetlands are actively managed as amphibian habitat and reservoir wetlands are managed as fish habitat.