Navigating the Thermal Landscape

Navigating the Thermal Landscape
Author: Geoffrey Norman Hughes
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN:

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Thermal ecology studies of ectotherms, like turtles, have typically focused on a species' thermal preferences and tolerances, or on thermoregulation site selections; only recently have landscape-scale thermal ecology studies been performed. I examined the spatial and nesting ecology of wood turtles in Sudbury District of Ontario, Canada, in a thermal context. I also measured the thermal impacts of natural resource extraction on wood turtle habitat. Wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) cover a wide variety of terrestrial and aquatic habitats during their annual cycle, making them ideal for thermo-spatial studies. I tracked movements and thermal use of 15 radio-tagged adult turtles during the active season, comparing their selections to temperature monitoring stations spread in an array across the study area, to determine if the turtles are navigating a thermal landscape. Temperature had minimal influence on home range-scale movements, but possibly influenced movements at a smaller spatial scale. I compared the thermal landscape (using thermal imagery), soil moisture, and grain size distribution of 3 nesting beaches to determine the strongest predictor of nest-searching behaviour. Temperature range appeared to be an important cue, but females were apparently using a suite of cues to select their nest sites. I mapped the thermal landscapes of six sites: two relatively undisturbed wood turtle habitat sites, two recently-harvested forestry sites, and two active gravel pits, to find the effects of resource harvesting on wood turtle habitat. The undisturbed sites were cooler and less variable than the disturbed sites, and provided higher-quality thermal habitat. My results support the findings of previous studies: that temperature is a stronger driver of turtle behaviour at the micro-habitat scale than the home range scale, and that soil temperature co-varies with soil structural variables at the micro-habitat scale. The data from the habitat mapping provide useful information for conservation efforts when mitigating or rehabilitating wood turtle habitat.

Habitat Selection, Nesting Ecology, and Mating Behavior of the Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta)

Habitat Selection, Nesting Ecology, and Mating Behavior of the Wood Turtle (Glyptemys Insculpta)
Author: Alexandra T. Vlk
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2019
Genre: Wood turtle
ISBN:

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"This thesis focuses primarily on a disturbed wood turtle population located in Otsego County, NY with comparisons to turtles in protected sistes located in Putnam County, NY and CT and Sussex County, NJ." -- Preface.

Status Report on the Wood Turtle, Clemmys Insculpta, in Canada

Status Report on the Wood Turtle, Clemmys Insculpta, in Canada
Author: Jacqueline Danielle Litzgus
Publisher:
Total Pages: 64
Release: 1996
Genre: Endangered species
ISBN:

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Assesses the conservation status of Clemmys insculpta, the wood turtle, which ranges discontinuously in north-eastern North America and is confined to specific habitats associated with streams. Information is included on the turtle's geographic distribution in Canada and the United States, population size and trends, protection status, habitat, general biology, factors limiting the turtle population size and distribution, and the special significance of the species. Concludes with brief discussion of the current consensus regarding the status of the species and a recommendation for designation of the species as vulnerable.

Activity Patterns, Home Range, and Microhabitat Selection of a Terrestrial Turtle (Rhinoclemmys Rubida Perixantha)

Activity Patterns, Home Range, and Microhabitat Selection of a Terrestrial Turtle (Rhinoclemmys Rubida Perixantha)
Author: Taggert Butterfield
Publisher:
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2016
Genre: Aquatic ecology
ISBN:

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"Turtles are in trouble worldwide, with nearly half recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as needing special protection. The Eurasian pond and Neotropical wood turtles of the family Geoemydidae are the most diverse turtles and comprise 1⁄4 of all turtle species yet basic information on their natural history is lacking. Moreover, seasonal tropical dry forest (SDTF), where many geoemydids exist, is considered the most endangered ecosystem in the world. We investigated the activity patterns, home range size, and microhabitat selection of the Mexican Spotted Wood Turtle (Rhinoclemmys rubida perixantha) in its SDTF habitat by tracking turtles with trail spools and radio telemetry. Our data show activity of R. r. perixantha was strongly associated with the intense dry season in the tropical deciduous forest, where turtles made fewer movements and walked significantly shorter distances (wet=46.8±3.6m, dry=21.4± 4m, P2=48.5, P. This was the first field study ever conducted on the endangered Mexican Spotted Wood Turtle in its native habitat."--From the Abstract.