Heliothermic lizards, like Aspidoscelis sexlineata (Six-lined Racerunner) and Sceloporus undulatus (Eastern Fence Lizard), use direct solar radiation to maintain high body temperatures needed to fulfill their basic life functions. These lizards are often found in frequently burned Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) savannas that provide open, high-quality thermal habitat and foraging opportunities. We examined microhabitat features surrounding 42 locations where we captured lizards using drift-fences within Longleaf Pine savannas from March to May 2017 to better understand the fine-scale habitat components important for these 2 species. We used negative binomial regression, model selection (AICc), and model averaging to identify important variables associated with lizard habitat use. We found both Six-lined Racerunners (n = 52) and Eastern Fence Lizards (n = 38) used microhabitats that were characteristic of open-canopied sites (i.e., more bare ground and grass, and less litter, midstory, and canopy cover). However, their use of sites differed in the forest structure selected. The surface-dwelling Six-lined Racerunner selected sites with more stumps and the arboreal Eastern Fence Lizard selected sites with greater Quercus (oak) basal area. Management for these lizards should include activities that promote their habitat, foraging, and thermoregulatory requirements, such as frequent prescribed fire to maintain savanna-like conditions and the retention of forest structures for basking and refuge.

The Withlacoochee River in central Florida is a large blackwater river lacking substantive data on fish assemblage and has undergone extensive hydrological modification since the early 1900s. We compared fish assemblages in river segments above and below 2 major dams by conducting electrofishing surveys between April 2016 and June 2018. We also compiled historical records to assess temporal changes in species occurrence. We found that fish assemblages were significantly different in the lower segment than in the middle and upper segments. The lower segment had the lowest total catch-per-unit-distance and freshwater-fish species richness. Fish assemblage patterns were most highly correlated with Secchi depth, specific conductance, and percent of non-vegetative habitat cover. Much of the variation in fish assemblages among segments was consistent with that observed in undammed coastal rivers, but the lack of estuarine species in upper reaches of our study area suggests that the Inglis Dam may restrict upstream dispersal of these taxa. Comparison of species composition with historical records did not reveal any potential extirpations since 1931, but we recorded 8 marine species and 3 non-native species that were not present in historical records.

Luxilus chrysocephalus (Striped Shiner) is a stream-dwelling fish common throughout the Ohio, Mississippi, and Tennessee River systems in central and eastern North America. Through its abundance, the species is often an important part of stream fish communities. To better characterize the fecundity and spawning season of Striped Shiners, I made monthly collections of the species throughout most of 2014 and 2015 from the Flint River in north Alabama, a tributary to the Tennessee River. My primary goal was to describe fecundity in this species by assessing ovarian maturation, characterizing the monthly pattern of maturation stages of oocytes, and determining oocyte diameter of different stages in reproductive months. I characterized gonadal condition of mature males and females by calculation of monthly gonadosomatic index (GSI). Mean river discharge for collection days in March through June of 2014 and 2015 was much higher in 2015 than in 2014, likely delaying the 2015 spawning season. Female GSI began to rise in March, with sharply defined peaks in April of each year, and fell sharply in May and June. Clutch oocytes were found in March through May in 2014, but only in April and May of 2015. The largest mean total clutch oocyte count (1438) occurred in April 2014. Striped Shiners in the Flint River appear to have an effective breeding season of 2 months, April and May, shorter than commonly thought.

Caretta caretta (Loggerhead Sea Turtle) is a globally threatened sea turtle species that nests on United States Atlantic coast beaches. While several environmental factors influence egg incubation and hatching success, maternal identity may also play an important role and has been overlooked. New molecular advances, such as ongoing genetic capture–recapture using eggshells, allow the identification of individual females using fresh eggshells, which can then be used to track nesting and hatching success across individual females. Across 2 consecutive nesting seasons, we monitored 170 nests for environmental conditions as part of a larger Georgia Department of Natural Resources monitoring program. Mothers had been identified using molecular data and classified as either neophytes or remigrants. We identified 34 of the nests as belonging to neophyte Loggerhead mothers, which exhibited a 61% hatching success rate, compared to only 46% success for remigrant mothers (P < 0.01). Further analysis suggested no differences in environmental parameters between neophyte and remigrant nests. Thus, while it is possible that different-aged mothers make different nesting-site choices that could affect the nest environment, it is likely that Loggerhead reproductive biology, such as maternal investment, may change over time. More data are required to fully investigate maternal effects on hatching success and to elucidate the mechanisms, both within this species and across multiple species of sea turtles.

Aphredoderus sayanus (Pirate Perch) is a cryptic fish species inhabiting rivers throughout the eastern United States. We sampled Pirate Perch across 16 streams in 4 river basins (Trinity, Neches, Sabine, and Cypress) within east Texas to examine their relative abundance, habitat associations, and to describe their diet and reproductive biology. Ninety-five individuals were collected across all river basins, with streams within the Neches River containing the highest number of occurrences. Instream habitat conditions varied among basins, with major differences reflected by flow regimes, water depth, and substrate diversity. Pirate Perch were primarily associated with streams having lentic flows, shallow waters that contained woody structures, and substrates dominated by leaf litter and detritus. Insectivory was confirmed for the species. Microplastics were also documented for the first time in their stomach contents. Maximum fecundity was 2161 eggs, and ova development indicated multiple clutches of eggs during their reproductive period.

In the absence of fire, Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) ecosystems in the southeastern United States are vulnerable to successional change including mesophication, a process where increases in the importance of mesic and fire-intolerant species reduce biodiversity and thwart efforts to restore these systems. To determine the degree and nature of this successional trajectory at a local scale, we examined changes in species composition of a montane Longleaf Pine ecosystem in northwest Georgia using modern vegetation surveys and historical “witness tree” data. We also determined historical fire frequency using fire scars within Longleaf Pine stumps cross-dated to extant Longleaf Pine trees. Modern forest composition contained significantly more fire-intolerant taxa than the historical forest due to increased abundance of mesophytic species, especially Acer rubrum (Red Maple) and decline of Pinus spp. (pines) and some pyrophytic Quercus spp. (oaks). Counter to expectation, there were few differences in species composition between northeastern- and southwestern-facing slopes in modern or historical data. Fire scars indicated a historical mean fire-return interval of 5.5 years and suggest that without the reintroduction of more frequent prescribed fire, regeneration of montane Longleaf Pine is unlikely. Additional restorative techniques may also help these stands support greater biodiversity over time. For instance, co-dominance of pines and oaks in the historical forest suggests that fire-tolerant oaks should be retained in montane restoration efforts.

An observed predation of a federally endangered Percina rex (Roanoke Logperch), by an invasive Faxonius ozarkae (Ozark Crayfish), is detailed herein. We observed the predation on 11 August 2021 in the Roanoke River near downtown Roanoke, Roanoke County, VA. The crayfish had recently captured a sub-adult Roanoke Logperch and was dragging it under a cluster of cobbles. Upon observing this behavior, we retrieved the fish, positively identified it, and confirmed it as dead. The initial state of the Roanoke Logperch was nearly undamaged apart from indentations from the crayfish's chelae behind the operculum and near the caudal peduncle. Coloration of the Roanoke Logperch at time of observation indicated the fish had likely recently been captured. A camera was not readily available, so we returned the fish to the cobble cluster until a photograph could be captured. Upon returning approximately one-half hour later, coloration of the fish had begun to fade, and the ventral portion of the fish was partially consumed by the crayfish. Herein we discuss the significance of this observation and the gravity of the continued expansion for this invasive crayfish species, both within the confines of Virginia's waters as well as throughout the eastern United States.

Scavenging by owls is rarely documented, and fidelity to a scavenged carcass is even less common. Herein we describe multiple visits by presumably the same Strix varia (Barred Owl) to a carcass over 4 consecutive nights during the breeding season. Our observations demonstrate higher site-fidelity than is typically reported for owls and suggest that opportunistic scavenging may occasionally represent a low-cost means of meeting energetic demands with potentially important consequences for individual survival during nesting.