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Factors Influencing Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta) Home Range

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Factors Influencing Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta) Home Range University of Northern Iowa UNI ScholarWorks Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate College 2017 Factors influencing wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) home range size in Iowa: A comparison between suburban and rural populations Joshua Gregory Otten University of Northern Iowa Copyright ©2017 Joshua Gregory Otten Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd Part of the Zoology Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits oy u Recommended Citation Otten, Joshua Gregory, "Factors influencing wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) home range size in Iowa: A comparison between suburban and rural populations" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 466. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/466 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FACTORS INFLUENCING WOOD TURTLE (GLYPTEMYS INSCULPTA) HOME RANGE SIZE IN IOWA: A COMPARISON BETWEEN SUBURBAN AND RURAL POPULATIONS An Abstract of a Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Joshua Gregory Otten University of Northern Iowa December 2017 ABSTRACT Home range size, movement patterns, and site fidelity of wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) were compared between a suburban population in Black Hawk County (BH) and a rural population in Butler County (BC), Iowa. Approximately 89% of individuals captured for studies conducted in Iowa during 2014 and 2015 were >14 years old. 45 individuals (22 females, 18 males, and 5 juveniles) were used for radio telemetry surveys in 2014–2015, 24 of which were located in BC, and 21 at BH. Home range size of male and female wood turtles was significantly different at the 100% Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP), 95% MCP, and 50% MCP levels, with male home range significantly larger than females in both populations. Male linear home range (LHR) and stream home range (SHR) was also significantly larger than those of females and juveniles. There was no significant difference in home range sizes between the two populations. Out of the seven criteria analyzed (body mass, carapace length, sex, injury class, total locations, age, and study site), sex had the greatest influence on the size of home range of wood turtles. Wood turtles in Iowa had a high degree of site fidelity and displayed similar home range size between 2014 and 2015. Site fidelity was similar, and not significantly different between sexes, with females having a slightly higher degree of site fidelity. Site fidelity between the populations was nearly identical in 2014 and 2015. Overall, home range size remained fairly consistent at BH over the course of a 5-year period, and at BC over a 10-year time period. Year-to-year fidelity decreased over time in some instances (between 2011 and 2015), while remaining high in others (between 2004 and 2015). FACTORS INFLUENCING WOOD TURTLE (GLYPTEMYS INSCULPTA) HOME RANGE SIZE IN IOWA: A COMPARISON BETWEEN SUBURBAN AND RURAL POPULATIONS A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Joshua Gregory Otten University of Northern Iowa December 2017 ii This Study by: Joshua Gregory Otten Entitled: Factors Influencing Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) Home Range Size in Iowa: A Comparison Between Suburban and Rural Populations Has been approved as meeting the thesis requirements for the Degree of Master of Science __________ __________________________________________________ Date Dr. Jeffrey W. Tamplin, Chair, Thesis Committee __________ __________________________________________________ Date Dr. James W. Demastes, Thesis Committee __________ __________________________________________________ Date Dr. Mark C. Myers, Thesis Committee __________ __________________________________________________ Date Dr. Patrick P. Pease, Dean, Graduate College iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This project was funded as part of the “Upper Midwestern Turtle Habitat Improvement” grant awarded to Dr. Jeffrey W. Tamplin and Karen Kinkead as part of a State Wildlife Grant (competitive program) through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Special thanks Dr. Tamplin and Karen Kinkead for taking a chance on me, and their patience in the completion of this study. I am most grateful to my graduate thesis committee, Dr. James Demastes and Dr. Mark Myers, and to Kenneth Elgersma, who helped make the completion of my thesis possible. Extra special thanks to the person in my life who made all of this possible, my wife Margaret Haywood, who faithfully stuck by me through all the ups and downs, never batted an eye when I asked, “could you read this?” and repeatedly talked me off that ledge. Without her courage and understanding, I never would have finished. Thank you to all of the undergraduate research assistants who helped over the course of two years: Zach Schneider, and Patrick Chizek. I also would like to thank my fellow researcher in this endeavor, Jeremy George. Special thanks to Samuel Berg and his faithful companion Buzzard; my own research and thesis benefitted from his research before me, skillful field abilities, and helpful insight to this whole process. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ xi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 Movement Patterns .................................................................................................... 5 Wood Turtle Natural History ..................................................................................... 6 Life History ......................................................................................................... 6 Description ..................................................................................................... 6 Sexual maturity and dimorphism .................................................................... 7 Distribution .......................................................................................................... 9 Iowa distribution ............................................................................................ 9 Habitat ............................................................................................................... 10 Seasonal Activity Periods ................................................................................... 11 Feeding .............................................................................................................. 13 Reproduction ..................................................................................................... 14 Social Structure .................................................................................................. 15 Species Status .................................................................................................... 16 Threats .................................................................................................................... 16 Predation ............................................................................................................ 16 Flooding ............................................................................................................ 17 Habitat Destruction, Fragmentation, and Degradation ........................................ 18 Rural (non-suburban) population .................................................................. 21 v Suburban population .................................................................................... 22 PREVIOUS RESEARCH .............................................................................................. 23 Home Range ............................................................................................................ 23 Site Fidelity ............................................................................................................. 25 Iowa Wood Turtle Studies ....................................................................................... 26 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY ............................................................................................ 27 Home Range and Movement Patterns ...................................................................... 27 Site Fidelity ............................................................................................................. 28 CHAPTER 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................................................ 30 Study Sites ............................................................................................................... 30 Black Hawk County Site .................................................................................... 32 Butler County Site.............................................................................................. 36 Turtle Captures ........................................................................................................ 40 Age Structure ..................................................................................................... 41 Assessing Level of Injury ..................................................................................
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