Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Mitchell, M. J., & Rostal, D. C. (2003). Homerange, habitat characteristics, and reproduction of the female gopher tortoise (gopherus polyphemus) in southeast georgia. Abstracts ASIH Meeting 2003.
Added by: Admin (14 Aug 2008 20:36:25 UTC) |
| Resource type: Journal Article BibTeX citation key: Mitchell2003 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Gopherus, Gopherus polyphemus, Habitat = habitat, Nordamerika = North America, Schildkröten = turtles + tortoises, Testudinidae Creators: Mitchell, Rostal Collection: Abstracts ASIH Meeting 2003 |
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| Abstract |
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Testudinidae Female home range was studied for the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) on Ft. Stewart Army Reserve in Georgia. Gopher tortoises are long lived organisms (80+ years) and a keystone species in long leaf pine / wiregrass ecosystems. Most estimations of home range are based on short term radiotracking studies (1 year or less). We tested the relationships of short term radiotracking studies (1 active season) to long term recapture data (8 years) to assess which method provided a more accurate estimation of true home range. Fifty-three gopher tortoises were fitted with radiotags and were tracked from May through November 2002. All burrows and above ground locations were recorded using a GPS unit. Long term recapture data from 1994 to 2002 was used for female tortoises with three or more captures at different locations. The locations were mapped using ArcView and the home range analysis was performed using extensions of ArcView that included spatial analyst, 3D analyst, and Movement 2.0. Results will be presented and compared with published home range sizes. Vegetation studies were also conducted long term at Ft. Stewart and were used to observe the effect of vegetation on female homerange and burrow selection. X-rays were used to determine if there was any correlation between reproductive success (egg counts) to homerange size, or the quantity of vegetation available to the tortoises.
Added by: Admin |