DOCSLIB.ORG

Impact of Natural Resource Extraction on Thermal Properties of Wood Turtle T (Glyptemys Insculpta) Habitat Geoffrey N

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Impact of Natural Resource Extraction on Thermal Properties of Wood Turtle T (Glyptemys Insculpta) Habitat Geoffrey N Journal of Thermal Biology 84 (2019) 469–478 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Thermal Biology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jtherbio Impact of natural resource extraction on thermal properties of wood turtle T (Glyptemys insculpta) habitat Geoffrey N. Hughesa,b, Jacqueline D. Litzgusa,* a Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, P3C 2C6, Canada b Biological Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2350, Australia ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: One of the main threats to freshwater turtle populations is habitat destruction, which occurs as a result of human Aggregates activities such as infrastructure development, forestry, aggregate extraction, and agriculture. However, the Forestry impacts of these activities on thermoregulatory opportunities for turtles are not well understood. We examined Habitat the impacts of forestry and aggregate extraction on thermal characteristics of wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) Species at risk habitat in the Sudbury District, Ontario, by measuring the differences in absolute temperature, thermal land- Tset scape structure, and habitat thermal quality among relatively undisturbed sites (N = 2), harvested forestry sites Temperature Thermal landscape (N = 2), and aggregate pits (N = 2) in 2015. We also tested the potential use of the thermal landscape concept as a predictor of habitat thermal quality. Undisturbed habitats were of higher thermal quality than impacted sites in terms of temperatures experienced in situ by wild wood turtles in their natural home ranges, and never reached temperatures that would be injurious to turtles (i.e., below CTMIN or above CTMAX). The undisturbed sites were of lower quality in terms of optimal temperatures (i.e., Tset), and were generally cooler and their temperatures less variable than those in impacted habitats. The thermal landscape concept provided a useful predictor of habitat thermal quality when the influence of time of day was factored into the predictive model. Our data are important to the conservation and management of wood turtles because they provide a preliminary quantification of the thermal impacts of natural resource extraction on the habitat of an endangered species, and can guide the development of mitigation and rehabilitation plans by providing measures of, and targets for, thermal habitat quality. 1. Introduction Samways, 1991), fish (Schultz et al., 2016), and rattlesnakes (Harvey, 2015), but has not been studied in relation to turtles. Like the tangible Landscapes vary spatially and temporally, and the animals that in- landscape, the thermal landscape varies spatially and temporally, but is habit them must alter their behavior to accommodate these changes in far more dynamic. Animals can be sensitive to changes in the thermal order to survive (Berthold, 1988). Compared to endotherms, ectotherms regimes of their habitats (Lehmkuhl, 1972; Sweeney et al., 2018). For have comparatively low material resource needs (food, water, oxygen, example, western rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) in British Columbia, etc.) because their metabolic rates can be 20 times lower than those of Canada, used upland forest habitats (higher foraging quality) when the endotherms (Cowles and Bogert, 1944), but ectotherms must thermo- thermal qualities of the forest were sufficient for them to function there, regulate behaviorally, which an endotherm only needs to do in extreme but used lower-quality arid grasslands when the forests were too cool conditions (Gordon, 1985; Nagy, 2005; Nelson et al., 1984; Parlin et al., (Harvey, 2015). Human activities can exacerbate natural thermal 2018). Sites suitable for thermoregulation are not distributed evenly variability, and have been correlated with increased environmental across the landscape of an ectotherm's home range, and individuals temperatures at the local scale (e.g., urban heat islands; Kim, 1992; must assess and navigate this thermal landscape to maintain appro- Estoque et al., 2017) and at the global scale in the form of climate priate body temperatures (Greenwald and Kanter, 1979; Stevenson change (IPCC, 2014). et al., 1985; Arnold and Peterson, 1989). The thermal landscape con- In Ontario, Canada, habitat of the endangered wood turtle cept, defined as spatial and temporal variations in temperature across (Glyptemys insculpta) is commonly subject to intensive human activity, the landscape, has been applied to studies of insects (McGeoch and including forestry (Kittrede, 1996), gravel/aggregate extraction * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (J.D. Litzgus). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2019.07.031 Received 24 December 2018; Received in revised form 9 July 2019; Accepted 27 July 2019 Available online 29 July 2019 0306-4565/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. G.N. Hughes and J.D. Litzgus Journal of Thermal Biology 84 (2019) 469–478 (Arvisais et al., 2004; Walde et al., 2007), and agriculture (Saumure 2.2. Study sites et al., 2007). All of these activities present conservation concerns for wood turtles through habitat loss (Kaufmann, 1992), injuries or fatal- We conducted field work from May to October 2015. The study area ities from encounters with machinery (Kaufmann, 1992; Saumure et al., is located in the Sudbury District of Ontario; to protect the populations, 2007), increases in populations of subsidized predators such as red exact locations will be kept confidential. This area is typical of wood foxes (Vulpes vulpes), raccoons (Procyon lotor), skunks (Mephitis me- turtle habitat in central Ontario: mixed coniferous/deciduous forest on phitis), and corvids (Klemens, 2000; Buhlmann and Osborn, 2011), and glacial moraine soils, cool, clear rivers with sand/gravel/cobble sub- increased exposure to illegal collection (i.e., poaching; COSEWIC, strates, and little human habitation. The primary natural resource in- 2007). However, human development does not necessarily have a ne- dustries near the study site are forestry and aggregate extraction. A gative impact on wood turtle habitat. Wood turtles are an edge species subset of the wood turtle population within a ~3.5 km section of the (Kaufmann, 1992; Compton et al., 2002), and it is possible that forest river has been studied since 2003; we refer to this area as the primary harvesting can be beneficial to wood turtles if employed conscientiously study site. We selected six sites in or near this primary study site: two as a forest management strategy, by opening up closed-canopy forest relatively undisturbed sites, two sites within previously-harvested for- habitat (i.e., creating a habitat mosaic with more “edge”). Additionally, estry blocks, and two sites within aggregate (gravel) pits. All study sites wood turtles have been observed nesting in aggregate pits, which re- are within 10 km of each other and within 300 m of the river used by semble the elevated sandy beaches of their natural nesting sites the wood turtles; each site was 1.8 ha in area (200 m × 90 m). Surveys (Harding and Bloomer, 1979; Walde et al., 2007; Hughes et al., 2009). in 2007, 2009, and 2015 found wood turtles or evidence of wood turtle These seemingly-contradictory findings illustrate the importance of presence within 1 km of each of the study sites (Greaves, 2007; pers. studying the effects of natural resource extraction on wood turtle ha- obs.). bitat before setting habitat management policies and best practices. The relatively undisturbed sites were located within the primary In this study, we assessed the thermal impacts (absolute differences study site, and were chosen for their limited amounts of recent human in temperature) and consequences (differences in habitat thermal activity. Both sites include 45-year old jack pine (Pinus banksiana) quality) of resource extraction on wood turtle terrestrial habitat. Our plantation, and some evidence of camping and ATV trails, but have no study population is located near the northern periphery of the wood recent large-scale disturbances comparable to those of the impact sites. turtle's range, where habitat thermal quality is at its greatest im- The first undisturbed site (W1) was chosen for its high incidence of portance for ectotherms (Magnuson et al., 1979; Tracey and Christian, wood turtles captures in previous studies (Greaves, 2007; Greaves et al. 1986; Greaves, 2007; Dubois et al., 2009). Our objective was to com- unpubl. data, Hughes, 2016). W1 abuts the river, and includes natural pare the thermal properties and qualities of sites with (relatively) un- riparian forest within the floodplain (274 m elevation) and 45-year-old disturbed wood turtle habitat to habitats impacted by resource ex- jack pine plantation further inland/upland (281 m elevation). Given the traction. We predicted that sites impacted by resource extraction would proximity to the river, structural complexity and high incidence of be hotter and more variable in temperature than undisturbed sites, as observed use by the turtles, we made the assumption that this site re- greater canopy cover at the undisturbed sites would provide a thermal presents “good” wood turtle habitat. W1 has a closed canopy, except buffer (Zhou et al., 2007). We also predicted that habitat thermal directly at the river's edge, around one large vernal pool in the flood- quality would be lower in the resource extraction sites than in the plain, and in some parts of the plantation forest where jack pine trees undisturbed sites. Finally, to assess the usefulness of the thermal
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Box Turtles July 2017
    The HERP Project, Herpetology Education in Rural Places and Spaces In Awe of Nature: Treasuring Terrestrial Turtles By Ann Berry Somers, Catherine Matthews, and Lacey Huffling The Herp Project is supported by the National Science Foundation, Grant No. DRL-1114558. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Treasuring Terrestrial Turtles Before starting a project like the one described in this curriculum, contact your state wildlife resources commission or state division of fish and game to see what permits you need to work with box turtles. I. Project Description This curriculum was developed by The HERP (Herpetology Education in Rural Places and Spaces) Project to introduce participants to the wonders of nature and science through the study of box turtles (Terrapene spp.). The curriculum was developed over several years of working with high school students in our Herpetological Research Experience (HRE) residential program. Feel free to modify this curriculum as needed. In our program, participants are introduced to turtle biology as well as to The Box Turtle Connection (BTC), our long-term mark/recapture box turtle study in North Carolina. The BTC is designed to follow temporal trends in population size and structure (sex, age class) as well as the health and condition of individual box turtles from numerous sites across North Carolina. The data collected are important to help scientists determine if box turtles need special conservation measures to maintain their populations and thrive in their natural habitat. Our box turtle studies are enhanced by use of Boykin Spaniel dogs to locate and retrieve box turtles and use of radio tracking to determine activity ranges for male and female box turtles.
    [Show full text]
  • AN INTRODUCTION to Texas Turtles
    TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE AN INTRODUCTION TO Texas Turtles Mark Klym An Introduction to Texas Turtles Turtle, tortoise or terrapin? Many people get confused by these terms, often using them interchangeably. Texas has a single species of tortoise, the Texas tortoise (Gopherus berlanderi) and a single species of terrapin, the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin). All of the remaining 28 species of the order Testudines found in Texas are called “turtles,” although some like the box turtles (Terrapene spp.) are highly terrestrial others are found only in marine (saltwater) settings. In some countries such as Great Britain or Australia, these terms are very specific and relate to the habit or habitat of the animal; in North America they are denoted using these definitions. Turtle: an aquatic or semi-aquatic animal with webbed feet. Tortoise: a terrestrial animal with clubbed feet, domed shell and generally inhabiting warmer regions. Whatever we call them, these animals are a unique tie to a period of earth’s history all but lost in the living world. Turtles are some of the oldest reptilian species on the earth, virtually unchanged in 200 million years or more! These slow-moving, tooth­ less, egg-laying creatures date back to the dinosaurs and still retain traits they used An Introduction to Texas Turtles | 1 to survive then. Although many turtles spend most of their lives in water, they are air-breathing animals and must come to the surface to breathe. If they spend all this time in water, why do we see them on logs, rocks and the shoreline so often? Unlike birds and mammals, turtles are ectothermic, or cold- blooded, meaning they rely on the temperature around them to regulate their body temperature.
    [Show full text]
  • Sequence-Based Molecular Phylogenetics and Phylogeography of the American Box Turtles (Terrapene Spp.) with Support from DNA Barcoding ⇑ Bradley T
    Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 68 (2013) 119–134 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Molec ular Phylo genetics and Evolution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ympev Sequence-based molecular phylogenetics and phylogeography of the American box turtles (Terrapene spp.) with support from DNA barcoding ⇑ Bradley T. Martin a, , Neil P. Bernstein b, Roger D. Birkhead c, Jim F. Koukl a, Steven M. Mussmann d, John S. Placyk Jr. a a Department of Biology, The University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75799, USA b Deptartment of Natural and Applied Sciences, Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, USA c Alabama Science in Motion, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA d Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA article info abstract Article history: The classification of the American box turtles (Terrapene spp.) has remained enigmatic to systematis ts. Received 31 December 2012 Previous comp rehensive phylogenetic studies focused primarily on morphology. The goal of this study Accepted 8 March 2013 was to re-assess the classification of Terrapene spp. by obtaining DNA sequence data from a broad geo- Available online 20 March 2013 graphic range and from all four recogni zed species and 11subspecies within the genus. Tissue samples were obtained for all taxa except for Terrapene nelsoni klauberi . DNA was extracted, and the mitochondrial Keywords: DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b (Cytb) and nuclear DNA (nucDNA) glyceraldehyde-3-phosph ate-dehydrogenase Box turtle (GAPD) genes were amplified via polymera sechain reaction and sequenced. In addition, the mtDNA gene DNA barcoding commonly used for DNA barcoding (cytochrome oxidase c subunit I; COI) was amplified and sequenced to Molecular phylogenetics Phylogeography calculate pairwise percent DNA sequence divergen cecompariso nsfor each Terrapene taxon.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Report
    FINAL REPORT Distribution, Abundance, and Seasonal Habitat Use Patterns in Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata) in South Dakota State: South Dakota Grant Number: T-44-R-1 Period Covered: 15 May 2010 – 15 May 2012 1* 1 2 ALESSANDRA HIGA , HUGH QUINN AND DANIEL W. URESK 1Math, and Science Department Oglala Lakota College 490 Piya Wiconi Road Kyle, SD 57757 and 2USDA Forest Service 231 East Saint Joseph Street Rapid City, SD 57701 *Corresponding author: [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ………………………………………………….....……………………….. 3 Introduction ………………………………………………………………..…………………….. 6 Materials and Methods …………………………………………………………………………... 9 • Study Area …………………………...………………………………………………..… 9 • Locating Turtles …………………………………………………………………………. 9 • Collecting Data ………………………………………………………….………….…… 9 • Data Analysis ………………………………………………………….……………….. 11 Results …………………………………………………………..........………………………… 13 • Habitat ……………………………………………………..…………...……………… 13 • Home range ………………………………………………………..…………...………. 15 • Hibernation ……………………………………………………….……………………. 16 • SD Geographic Range Estimation ………………………………..……………………. 17 • Reproduction and Growth …………………………………………..………………….. 17 Discussion ……………………………………………………………………..……………….. 19 • Habitat …………………...………………………………..…………………………… 19 • Home range ………………………………………………………..…………...………. 20 • Hibernation ……………………………………………………….……………………. 21 • SD Geographic Range Estimation ………………………………..……………………. 23 • Reproduction and Growth …………………………………………..………………….. 23 Training in Ecological Field Research to Oglala Lakota College (OLC)
    [Show full text]
  • Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles & Crocodilians
    STANDARD COMMON AND CURRENT SCIENTIFIC NAMES FOR NORTH AMERICAN AMPHIBIANS, TURTLES, REPTILES & CROCODILIANS Sixth Edition Joseph T. Collins TraVis W. TAGGart The Center for North American Herpetology THE CEN T ER FOR NOR T H AMERI ca N HERPE T OLOGY www.cnah.org Joseph T. Collins, Director The Center for North American Herpetology 1502 Medinah Circle Lawrence, Kansas 66047 (785) 393-4757 Single copies of this publication are available gratis from The Center for North American Herpetology, 1502 Medinah Circle, Lawrence, Kansas 66047 USA; within the United States and Canada, please send a self-addressed 7x10-inch manila envelope with sufficient U.S. first class postage affixed for four ounces. Individuals outside the United States and Canada should contact CNAH via email before requesting a copy. A list of previous editions of this title is printed on the inside back cover. THE CEN T ER FOR NOR T H AMERI ca N HERPE T OLOGY BO A RD OF DIRE ct ORS Joseph T. Collins Suzanne L. Collins Kansas Biological Survey The Center for The University of Kansas North American Herpetology 2021 Constant Avenue 1502 Medinah Circle Lawrence, Kansas 66047 Lawrence, Kansas 66047 Kelly J. Irwin James L. Knight Arkansas Game & Fish South Carolina Commission State Museum 915 East Sevier Street P. O. Box 100107 Benton, Arkansas 72015 Columbia, South Carolina 29202 Walter E. Meshaka, Jr. Robert Powell Section of Zoology Department of Biology State Museum of Pennsylvania Avila University 300 North Street 11901 Wornall Road Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120 Kansas City, Missouri 64145 Travis W. Taggart Sternberg Museum of Natural History Fort Hays State University 3000 Sternberg Drive Hays, Kansas 67601 Front cover images of an Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) and Cajun Chorus Frog (Pseudacris fouquettei) by Suzanne L.
    [Show full text]
  • Proposed Amendment to 21CFR124021
    Richard Fife 8195 S. Valley Vista Drive Hereford, AZ 85615 December 07, 2015 Division of Dockets Management Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061 Rockville, MD 20852 Reference: Docket Number FDA-2013-S-0610 Proposed Amendment to Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Volume 8 Revised as of April 1, 2015 21CFR Sec.1240.62 Dear Dr. Stephen Ostroff, M.D., Acting Commissioner: Per discussion with the Division of Dockets Management staff on November 10, 2015 Environmental and Economic impact statements are not required for petitions submitted under 21CFR Sec.1240.62 CITIZEN PETITION December 07, 2015 ACTION REQUESTED: I propose an amendment to 21CFR Sec.1240.62 (see exhibit 1) as allowed by Section (d) Petitions as follows: Amend section (c) Exceptions. The provisions of this section are not applicable to: By adding the following two (2) exceptions: (5) The sale, holding for sale, and distribution of live turtles and viable turtle eggs, which are sold for a retail value of $75 or more (not to include any additional turtle related apparatuses, supplies, cages, food, or other turtle related paraphernalia). This dollar amount should be reviewed every 5 years or more often, as deemed necessary by the department in order to make adjustments for inflation using the US Department of Labor, Bureau of labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index. (6) The sale, holding for sale, and distribution of live turtles and viable turtle eggs, which are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List as Extinct In Wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable (IUCN threatened categorizes).
    [Show full text]
  • A Systematic Review of the Turtle Family Emydidae
    67 (1): 1 – 122 © Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 2017. 30.6.2017 A Systematic Review of the Turtle Family Emydidae Michael E. Seidel1 & Carl H. Ernst 2 1 4430 Richmond Park Drive East, Jacksonville, FL, 32224, USA and Department of Biological Sciences, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA; [email protected] — 2 Division of Amphibians and Reptiles, mrc 162, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, D.C. 200137012, USA; [email protected] Accepted 19.ix.2016. Published online at www.senckenberg.de / vertebrate-zoology on 27.vi.2016. Abstract Family Emydidae is a large and diverse group of turtles comprised of 50 – 60 extant species. After a long history of taxonomic revision, the family is presently recognized as a monophyletic group defined by unique skeletal and molecular character states. Emydids are believed to have originated in the Eocene, 42 – 56 million years ago. They are mostly native to North America, but one genus, Trachemys, occurs in South America and a second, Emys, ranges over parts of Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. Some of the species are threatened and their future survival depends in part on understanding their systematic relationships and habitat requirements. The present treatise provides a synthesis and update of studies which define diversity and classification of the Emydidae. A review of family nomenclature indicates that RAFINESQUE, 1815 should be credited for the family name Emydidae. Early taxonomic studies of these turtles were based primarily on morphological data, including some fossil material. More recent work has relied heavily on phylogenetic analyses using molecular data, mostly DNA. The bulk of current evidence supports two major lineages: the subfamily Emydinae which has mostly semi-terrestrial forms ( genera Actinemys, Clemmys, Emydoidea, Emys, Glyptemys, Terrapene) and the more aquatic subfamily Deirochelyinae ( genera Chrysemys, Deirochelys, Graptemys, Malaclemys, Pseudemys, Trachemys).
    [Show full text]
  • Treasuring Terrestrial Turtles
    The HERP Project, Herpetology Education in Rural Places and Spaces In Awe of Nature: Treasuring Terrestrial Turtles By Ann Berry Somers, Catherine Matthews, and Lacey Huffling The Herp Project is supported by the National Science Foundation, Grant No. DRL-1114558. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Treasuring Terrestrial Turtles Before starting a project similar to the one described in this curriculum, contact your state wildlife resources commission or state division of fish and game to see what permits you need to work with box turtles. I. Project Description This curriculum was developed by The HERP (Herpetology Education in Rural Places and Spaces) Project to introduce participants to the wonders of nature and science through the study of box turtles (Terrapene spp.). The curriculum was developed over several years of working with high school students in our Herpetological Research Experience (HRE) residential program. Feel free to modify this curriculum as needed. In our program, participants are introduced to turtle biology as well as to The Box Turtle Connection (BTC), our long-term mark/recapture box turtle study in North Carolina. The BTC is designed to follow temporal trends in population size and structure (sex, age class) as well as the health and condition of individual box turtles from numerous sites across North Carolina. The data collected are important to help scientists determine if box turtles need special conservation measures to maintain their populations and thrive in their natural habitat.
    [Show full text]
  • Titel Artikel
    Forty years of Box Turtle husbandry John Boonman Tormentil 17 2631 DD Nootdorp The Netherlands [email protected] All photographs by the author animal on the basis of external criteria. In recent years it became clear that modern genetics do not elevate the complexity to INTRODUCTION subspecies level in all cases (see e.g., Retiring from work is the obvious moment to MARTIN et al., 2013 as well as the response make all kinds of plans for the future. At the of FRITZ & HAVAŠ, 2014). In light of the large same time, it can also be the occasion to distribution area of the species and its reconsider pieces of the past. Reaching that subspecies (see below) regional variations turning point in my life I came to the idea of are to be expected. On top of that numerous describing my forty years of experience hybrid forms are reported (cf. LUTTERSCHMIDT keeping Box Turtles, especially animals that et al., 2007). Taken all together it is have been in my possession for a remarkable that systematics is hardly considerable period of time, some for their disputed in the literature, or perhaps we entire life span to date. This paper is a simply don’t know enough? description of my experiences with species of The genus is easily recognized by a) their the genus Terrapene rather than a manual or relatively domed shells and well-developed prescription on how to keep these animals. As plastral hinges, which enable the animals to this is my personal experience, certain close themselves off completely from the aspects are dealt with in a fashion that is no outside world, b) their terrestrial habitat, and longer acceptable but was considered normal c) that their feet are neither webbed nor in the seventies.
    [Show full text]
  • CHELONIAN CONSERVATION and BIOLOGY International Journal of Turtle and Tortoise Research
    CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY International Journal of Turtle and Tortoise Research Activity, Growth, Reproduction, and Population Structure of Desert Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata luteola) at the Northern Edge of the Chihuahuan Desert DAVID J. GERMANO Department of Biology, California State University, Bakersfield, California 93311-1022 USA [[email protected]] Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 2014, 13(1): 56–64 g 2014 Chelonian Research Foundation Activity, Growth, Reproduction, and Population Structure of Desert Box Turtles (Terrapene ornata luteola) at the Northern Edge of the Chihuahuan Desert DAVID J. GERMANO Department of Biology, California State University, Bakersfield, California 93311-1022 USA [[email protected]] ABSTRACT. – Gathering natural history information on a species is a necessary first step in understanding its ecology, which can lead to hypothesis generation and the data necessary for its conservation. I studied desert box turtles (Terrapene ornata luteola) at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico at the northern periphery of this subspecies in the Chihuahuan Desert. I recorded locations and marked all box turtles found in the northeastern part of the refuge over 23 yrs during trips to the site in 1986–1989, 1998, and 2008. I found that desert box turtles at the site sometimes were active in May and early June, but were most active in late June or early July into early October, with greatest activity in July and August. Numbers of box turtles on roads were significantly correlated with air temperature but not precipitation. Daily activity was bimodal during peak activity months. Growth was fairly rapid until about 10 yrs of age and then leveled off dramatically.
    [Show full text]
  • The Box Turtle Partnership of Texas Is Composed of Texas Citizens and Groups Who Are Willing to Contribute Time and Effort Toward Saving Texas Box Turtles
    The Race to Save Texas Box Turtles What You Can Do People in many parts of the country remark about how scarce box turtles have become, and where they have been studied, these turtles are usually shown to be disappearing. In Texas, the prairies and woods and other places where they live are being developed, roads cut across the landscape and become death traps for them, imported fire ants attack them, and they are collected for pets. It is not unreasonable to think box turtles may disappear from much of Texas. There are some things that we can do that would help. But we don’t have any time to lose. Once they are gone, we probably cannot bring them back. We must act to save the wild box turtles that are out there now. Part One: Saving Texas Box Turtles: Why We Should Be Concerned Part Two: Thinking About Getting a Box Turtle? Part Three: If You Find a Box Turtle Who are we? The Box Turtle Partnership of Texas is composed of Texas citizens and groups who are willing to contribute time and effort toward saving Texas box turtles. It began with the Dallas-Fort Worth Herpetological Society and grew to include people within the Austin Herpetological Society and elsewhere. Our mission is: The Box Turtle Partnership of Texas advocates the preservation of box turtle populations in their native habitats through education, research, and protection from overharvesting. Do you want more information? Have some time to contribute as a volunteer? We would love to hear from you. Michael Smith Tim Cole Deb Sydney DFW Herpetological Society Austin Herpetological Society [email protected] www.dfwherp.org www.austinherpsociety.org Austin Herpetological Society P.O.
    [Show full text]
  • Molecular Phylogenetics and Phylogeography of the American Box Turtles (Terrapene SPP.) Bradley T
    University of Texas at Tyler Scholar Works at UT Tyler Biology Theses Biology Spring 4-30-2012 Molecular Phylogenetics and Phylogeography of the American Box Turtles (Terrapene SPP.) Bradley T. Martin Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uttyler.edu/biology_grad Part of the Biology Commons Recommended Citation Martin, Bradley T., "Molecular Phylogenetics and Phylogeography of the American Box Turtles (Terrapene SPP.)" (2012). Biology Theses. Paper 15. http://hdl.handle.net/10950/74 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Biology at Scholar Works at UT Tyler. It has been accepted for inclusion in Biology Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholar Works at UT Tyler. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS AND PHYLOGEOGRAPHY OF THE AMERICAN BOX TURTLES (TERRAPENE SPP.) by BRADLEY T. MARTIN A thesis/dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Department of Biology John S. Placyk, Jr., Ph.D., Committee Chair College of Arts and Sciences The University of Texas at Tyler May 2012 The University of Texas at Tyler Tyler, TX This is to certifu that the Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation of BRADLEY T. MARTIN has been approved for the thesisidissertation requirement on April4,2012 for the Master of Science degree Approvals: Thesis/Dissertation C 'ember: James Chair, Department tlbhrS'o.- D.un r Acknowledgements: I wish to give special thanks to my family for supporting and encouraging me in my academic and life pursuits. It is without a doubt that I would not have made it this far without their support.
    [Show full text]