. The ecological impact of man on the south Florida herpetofauna. Amphibians -- Ecology Florida; Nature -- Effect of human beings on Florida. SOUTH FLORIDA HERPETOFAUNA 59. i Figure 34. The "devil catcher," used to control plant growth along canal banks in western Broward and Palm Beach counties, leaves a path of destruction in its wake. (JR) Once the natural cover of an area has been removed, there are a number of native amphibians and reptiles that will become estab- lished in the newly-created niches if the land is allowed to lie fallow. Secondary growth and an accumulation of dis
. The ecological impact of man on the south Florida herpetofauna. Amphibians -- Ecology Florida; Nature -- Effect of human beings on Florida. SOUTH FLORIDA HERPETOFAUNA 59. i Figure 34. The "devil catcher," used to control plant growth along canal banks in western Broward and Palm Beach counties, leaves a path of destruction in its wake. (JR) Once the natural cover of an area has been removed, there are a number of native amphibians and reptiles that will become estab- lished in the newly-created niches if the land is allowed to lie fallow. Secondary growth and an accumulation of discarded objects provide favorable habitat for insects and rodents which, in turn, provide food for frogs, toads, lizards, and snakes. Eventually most of the altered areas are plowed for cultivation or bulldozed for housing, which to use a colloquialism, gives these animals the "double wham- ;' A similar situation occurs when rows of old Australian pines are cut down, when rocky canal dikes (Fig. 33) are hauled away for use as fill, when tractors pulling staggered series of large bladed rollers called "devil catchers" (Fig. 34) devastate rocky canal banks in order to root up plant growth, and when canals are dredged by boats to remove aquatic weeds. Two of the three terrestrial injurious exotic plants of concern (, Melaleuca and Schimis) are trees, which in south Florida, create a monobiotic environment that lacks the diversity necessary to sup- port a complex herpetofauna. The third plant, Casuarina, has proved detrimental for certain native amphibians and reptiles, but has also been a salvation for others. Of the two aquatic injurious plants,. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Wilson, Larry David; University of Kansas. Museum of Natural History; Porras, Louis. Lawrenc
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