Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Hailey, A., & Coulson, I. M. (1995). Habitat association of the tortoises geochelone pardalis and kinixys spekii in the sengwa wildlife research area, zimbabwe. Herpetological Journal, 5, 305–309.
Added by: Admin (23 Aug 2008 15:32:59 UTC) |
| Resource type: Journal Article BibTeX citation key: Hailey1995 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Geochelone, Habitat = habitat, Kinixys, Kinixys spekii, Schildkröten = turtles + tortoises, Stigmochelys, Stigmochelys pardalis, Südafrika = Southern Africa, Testudinidae Creators: Coulson, Hailey Collection: Herpetological Journal |
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| Abstract |
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Testudinidae There have been few studies of the mechanism of niche separation in sympatric tortoises. This paper examines the habitat association of Geochelone pardalis and Kinixys spekii at the Sengwa Wildlife Research Area, using data on 460 tortoises marked from 1982 to 1992. Tortoises were found in most of the vegetation types present. Habitat niche breadth was slightly greater in G. pardalis (B=0.48) than in K. spekii (B=0.36). There was considerable niche overlap between the two species (O=0.76), the only major difference being the greater use of riverine grassland by G. pardalis. Home range areas of individuals recaptured in several years were significantly larger in G. pardalis (mean 26 ha) than in K. spekii (mean 3.1 ha). The pattern of refuge use differed between the two species; K. spekii used burrows, and G. pardalis used thickets and felled trees.
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