U.S. forests and rangelands are home to hundreds of reptile and amphibian species, each with important roles in the web of life. Many species consume large quantities of mosquitoes and other insects, keeping populations under control. Others, including many snakes, eat rodents that could damage crops and spread disease if left unchecked. Reptiles such as snakes, lizards, and turtles have scaly skin that protects them in dry, hot climates. Amphibians, including salamanders and frogs, have moist, delicate skin that can absorb oxygen. Many amphibians live on land for much of their lives but lay their eggs in water, where their young hatch and develop.

Numerous reptile and amphibian species are threatened by habitat degradation or loss, disease, introduced non-native species, and a changing climate. Amphibians are especially vulnerable to prolonged droughts associated with climate change because of their reliance on moist microenvironments, rain that prompts them to breed, and water for reproduction.

The Forest Service invests in research on many reptile and amphibian species and communities because:

• Forest management can be key to maintaining quality habitats for reptiles and amphibians. For example, amphibians such as terrestrial salamanders prefer mature forest with cover objects such as downed dead wood that provide moist microenvironments.

• The emergence of new diseases is threatening the populations of some reptiles and amphibians. Forest Service scientists study amphibian and reptile diseases such as chytrid fungi, ranavirus, and snake fungal disease and are developing strategic ways to manage and reduce their impacts.

• Protecting streams and wetlands is key to maintaining habitats for a diversity of species including frogs, toads, salamanders, and turtles, and breeding sites for many amphibians. Forest Service researchers investigate habitat requirements of endangered and sensitive reptile and amphibian species such as gopher frogs, Louisiana pine snakes, and alligator snapping turtles.

• Climate change highlights the importance of maintaining high quality habitats and wildlife movement corridors to facilitate survival and migration across landscapes in response to shifting forest conditions. Forest Service researchers evaluate how the impacts of climate change, such as longer droughts, may affect some amphibian species – especially those that rely on wetlands holding water long enough for their larvae, like tadpoles, to fully develop.

Featured Work

• Investigating how forest, wetland, and streamside management and restoration can benefit reptile and amphibian species and communities.

• Studying how introduced species can prey upon or outcompete native amphibians. For example, introductions of small mouth bass and bullfrogs into streams of the Pacific Northwest likely contributed to population declines and local extinctions of the foothills yellow-legged frog.

• Assessing which reptile and amphibian species are most vulnerable to climate change, and possible ways that habitats and populations can be managed to increase their resilience.