Lined Snake (Tropidoclonion lineatum) Prescribed Fire Mortality

Abstract

Functioning prairie ecosystems are characterized by periodic and cyclical disturbances (e.g., grazing, drought, fire, etc.). Grazing and fire were historically widespread drivers of habitat structure. Many native species are adapted to fire and rely on the diverse habitats it maintains in a range of successional states. Wildlife mortality is an inevitable result of many prescribed fires and various species of small terrestrial vertebrates with limited dispersal abilities are most commonly affected. Herein, we report on the detected mortality of an individual Lined Snake (Tropidoclonion lineatum) after a prescribed burn along a lowland tallgrass prairie - wet meadow ecotone in South Central Nebraska. Little information exists on this topic as our record is only the second published observation of T. lineatum mortality resulting from a prescribed burn to our knowledge. Land managers can limit the negative impacts of prescribed fire on native species of conservation concern by considering their natural histories during the planning process.