Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Jones, C. A. , Desert box turtles (terrapene ornata lueola) in arizona. Paper presented at Third Box Turtle Conservation Workshop.
Added by: Admin (14 Aug 2008 20:33:44 UTC) |
| Resource type: Proceedings Article BibTeX citation key: Jones2007a View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Emydidae, Habitat = habitat, Nordamerika = North America, Schildkröten = turtles + tortoises, Terrapene, Terrapene ornata Creators: Jones Collection: Third Box Turtle Conservation Workshop |
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| Abstract |
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The desert box turtle, Terrapene ornata luteola, occupies a variety of habitats that include Lower Madrean Evergreen Woodland, Chihuahuan Desertscrub, Semidesert Grassland, and Plains/Great Basin in southeastern Arizona, the extreme southwest of its range. The desert box turtle is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) by the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. This inclusion was due in part to insufficient information about Arizona’s population and accounts from taxonomists and scientific experts that suspect it might be declining, but for which definitive information was unavailable. Because gaining information on this species is a priority, the Department has included a project to develop an occupancy model on our Heritage Grant Program’s Identification, Inventory, Acquisition, Protection, and Management sensitive elements list for 2007 (http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/w_c/heritage/2007/EligibilityFAQSpecialty.pdf). Desert box turtles began receiving protection in Arizona when the Department closed their season on January 1, 2005, making it illegal to collect them from the wild. To handle or conduct research on desert box turtles, the Department now requires a Scientific Collecting Permit; and reviews and issues 3 - 4 permits annually. Recent and ongoing studies include: home range and movement, habitat and microhabitat selection, thermal ecology and reproductive ecology. Though we have limited field data and research targeting desert box turtles in Arizona, the threats that have been identified include roads, illegal collecting, and habitat loss to urban development or plant community conversion. The latter may result in a change in prey-base and increased fire intensity. Another concern is released pets which can lead to genetic swamping with ornate box turtles, Terrapene ornata ornata. Appropriate surveys and monitoring protocol need to be developed to determine the threats and status of desert box turtles in Arizona.
Added by: Admin |