BULLETIN FLORIDA MUSEUM NATURAL HISTORY VOL. 38 PT. 1(2)


tubulares en site habitats x6ricos y tres habitats m6sicos, por un total de 39.162 trampas-noche. Los
habitats fueron muestrados de marzo o abril, a septiembre o noviembre, dependiendo del aio y la localidad.
Se capturaron 14 species (276 individuos, ademis de 53 recapturas) casi todas en trampas, siendo las cinco
species mas abundantes Cemophora coccinea, Coluber constrictor, Masticophis flagellum, Micrurus
fulvius y Sistrurus miliarius. La comunidad de culebras de sitios altos con pinos, fue levemente mis diverse
y mas homog6neamente distribuida que las comunidades de otros habitats x6ricos o m6sicos. Las culebras
estuvieron activas a lo largo del period de muestreo, aunque mostraron patrons de actividad mas
complejos que estrictamente modales. En general, parece haber poca partici6n de habitat estacional o a un
nivel macro, entire las cinco culebras mas comunmente capturadas. Las captures no parecieron star
influenciadas por pluviosidad mensual ni temperature. La corredora negra (Coluber constrictor) fue la
especie mis comunmente atrapada en todos los tipos de habitats, siendo las corredoras mis grades
capturadas en habitats mas estructuralmente diversos. La ausencia de capture de algunas species o la
subrepresentaci6n de otras species conocidas como mis comunes que lo que indican los datos de capture,
puede deberse a sesgos de muestreo. Las trampas tubulares debieran ser usadas en conjunto con otras
t6cnicas con el objeto de remover sesgos de muestreo cuando se inventorean y monitorean comunidades de
culebras.


 INTRODUCTION


 Relatively few studies have focused on snake community ecology, especially
because of sampling difficulties (Vitt 1987). In order to fully appreciate the
importance of snakes in community organization, however, species richness,
abundance, and annual and seasonal variation in activity patterns must be
determined. Sampling a variety of habitats using standardized techniques helps
record variation in habitat use that is then subject to investigation using
experimental procedures.
 At one time, the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)-turkey oak (Quercus laevis)-
wiregrass (Aristida stricta) community stretched along the Atlantic and Gulf
coastal plain from Virginia south to Florida, including a major portion of the
Florida peninsula (Myers 1990), and westward to Texas. The community
comprised approximately 28.3 million hectares, of which less than 10 percent
remains (Croker 1979; Means and Grow 1985; Noss 1989). Interspersed within the
longleaf pine forests are other communities, such as hardwood and swamp forests
and xeric and mesic hammocks (Myers and Ewel 1990), which developed in
response to local soil, fire, and hydrological conditions or resulted from past
anthropogenic causes. All these communities are collectively termed uplands.
Many species of vertebrate and invertebrate animals occur in these botanically rich
communities. Little is known, however, concerning the life history and habitat use
of most of the snakes that reside within upland communities.
 The Katharine Ordway Preserve-Swisher Memorial Sanctuary includes a
variety of upland habitats. From 1983 through 1988, RF conducted a general
inventory of resident vertebrates, including snakes. From 1985 through 1990, CKD
monitored the herpetofaunal community inhabiting a temporary pond located
between a longleaf pine and xeric oak hammock (Dodd 1992). As a result of our
efforts, 23 snake species now are known from the Ordway Preserve (Franz this
vol.). The present study was undertaken to provide a more systematic inventory of
the snakes inhabiting upland communities on the Ordway Preserve, and to examine