Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Willey, L. L., & Sievert, P. R. (2012). Notes on the nesting ecology of eastern box turtles near the northern limit of their range. Northeastern Naturalist, 19(3), 361–372.
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich (18 Nov 2012 17:47:16 UTC) |
| Resource type: Journal Article DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1656/045.019.0301 BibTeX citation key: Willey2012 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Fortpflanzung = reproduction, Habitat = habitat, Nordamerika = North America, Schildkröten = turtles + tortoises Creators: Sievert, Willey Collection: Northeastern Naturalist |
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| Abstract |
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We evaluated the nesting ecology of Terrapene Carolina Carolina (Eastern Box Turtle) near their northern range limit in Massachusetts. We identified 34 nests in 2005 and 2006 at 4 study sites, and measured clutch size, nest success, hatchling size, and habitat characteristics at each site. Mean clutch size was 5.87 eggs, and egg survival was approximately 50% to hatching, excluding depredation. Large-bodied females tended to oviposit larger clutches than small-bodied females, although the correlation was not significant, and a smaller proportion of their eggs produced live hatchlings. Nest depredation varied greatly across sites from 0 to nearly 100%. The variability observed across the species' range and across sites underscores the importance of obtaining local information when developing conservation and management programs for rare turtles. The characteristics of the nest sites observed in our study could be simulated to more effectively create or maintain artificial nest sites for Eastern Box Turtles in the Northeast.
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich |