Literaturdatenbank
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O’Malley, H., & Krochmal, A. R. , Translocated eastern painted turtles do not successfully navigate in novel habitats.
Added by: Admin (06 Jan 2014 18:23:02 UTC) |
| Resource type: Conference Paper BibTeX citation key: OMalley2011 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Chrysemys picta, Emydidae, Habitat - habitat, Nordamerika - North America, Schildkröten - turtles + tortoises Creators: Krochmal, O’Malley |
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| Abstract |
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Animal translocation is a common conservation and mitigation technique, but its effectiveness and suitability for use in aquatic turtles is poorly understood. As part of an ongoing investigation into the terrestrial movements and habitat-seeking behavior of Eastern Painted turtles (Chrysemys picta picta), we investigated the impact of translocation on movement patterns. We translocated 10 individual C. p. picta from the Chester River Field Research Center (Queen Anne’s Co, MD) to Chesapeake Farms (Kent Co, MD) – a straight-line distance of 11.5 mi. Using radiotelemetry, we monitored the movements of both translocated and resident turtles at Chesapeake Farms as their home ponds were drained as part of a waterfowl management program, forcing turtles to seek out new aquatic habitats. While resident turtles located far-off permanent bodies of water quickly and easily, all translocated turtles failed to do so, wandering about the habitat without direction. Even when portions of their routes overlapped with those of resident animals, translocated animals were unable locate water, indicating that they were unable to navigate novel habitats using sensory information alone. Relative to resident turtles, translocated turtles were slower to initiate overland movements, traveled greater distances at slower rates, and changed direction more frequently and to greater degrees. Finally, translocated animals moved in irregular, non-linear patterns and did not avoid wooded areas, contradicting predictions from previously published work. Our results demonstrate the importance of habitat familiarity to directing turtle movements and call into question the suitability of translocation as a conservation method for aquatic turtles.
Added by: Admin |