Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Atkinson, B. K. (2009). Community ecology of creek-dwelling freshwater turtles at nokuse plantation, florida. Unpublished thesis , University of Florida, Gainesville.
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich (30 Jun 2012 22:00:28 UTC) |
| Resource type: Thesis/Dissertation BibTeX citation key: Atkinson2009 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Chelydra, Chelydra serpentina, Chelydridae, Emydidae, Habitat = habitat, Kinosternidae, Nordamerika = North America, Schildkröten = turtles + tortoises, Sternotherus, Sternotherus minor, Sternotherus odoratus, Trachemys, Trachemys scripta Creators: Atkinson Publisher: University of Florida (Gainesville) |
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| URLs http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE0022630 |
| Abstract |
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Freshwater turtle communities were surveyed in four creeks at Nokuse Plantation. Nokuse Plantation is a 21,000-hectare private conservation tract in the Florida panhandle. The greater region, eastward to the Apalachicola River drainage and westward to Mobile Bay hosts the richest diversity of turtles in the United States. Sampling was conducted using baited hoop nets, modified crayfish traps, and hand-capture in Dismal Creek, Big Cypress Creek, Black Creek, and Seven Runs Creek. Turtles were identified to species; demographic and morphometric data were recorded. Specimens were marked for recapture. Water quality parameters were measured and other trapped organisms were also identified and counted. Two generalized community types were discernable from analysis of water quality and trapping data. Dismal Creek and Big Cypress Creek are slow-moving floodplain swamp-fed blackwater creeks with relatively high levels of detritus accumulation and corresponding high levels of primary productivity, as measured by total phosphorus and chlorophyll content. They are also characterized by relatively low oxygen concentrations in the water column. Dismal Creek and Big Cypress Creek share high total species richness and evenness. Dismal Creek has more canopy cover but less basking sites than Big Cypress Creek. Black Creek and Seven Runs Creek are more upland communities than Dismal Creek and Big Cypress Creek, with lower primary productivity levels, higher flow, and higher water column oxygen content. Black Creek is a blackwater stream with heavy canopy cover, moderate current, a sand-bottom, and is fed in part by seepage. Black Creek drains into Choctawhatchee Bay. Seven Runs Creek is a sand-bottomed seepage stream fed by numerous steepheads. Seven Runs Creek has moderate canopy cover, the lowest levels of primary productivity, the greatest flow and highest oxygen content in the water column of the creeks studied. Omnivorous turtle species richness differed by creek. Sternotherus minor were trapped in all four study areas. Dismal Creek contains S. minor, Sternotherus odoratus, Trachemys scripta, and Chelydra serpentina. Big Cypress Creek has three species: S. minor, S. odoratus, and T. scripta. Black Creek trapping efforts captured S. minor and a single T. scripta. Only S. minor was observed in Seven Runs Creek. S. minor and S. odoratus diets were analyzed by collecting fecal samples from trapped turtles. Diets differed between creeks, with greater diversity of food items being consumed in creeks with higher primary productivity. Primary productivity is positively correlated with relative abundance and diversity of turtles, and total species richness of the creek communities studied.
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich |