Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Seburn, D. C. (2012). Why didn’t the spotted turtle (clemmys guttata) cross the road? Herpetology Notes, 5, 527–530.
Added by: Admin (06 Jan 2014 18:23:09 UTC) |
| Resource type: Journal Article BibTeX citation key: anon2012.14698 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Clemmys guttata, Emydidae, Habitat - habitat, Nordamerika - North America, Schildkröten - turtles + tortoises Creators: Seburn Collection: Herpetology Notes |
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| Abstract |
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Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) typically make use of multiple wetlands during the active season. Movements between wetlands can put Spotted Turtles at significant risk of traffic mortality. A fen in eastern Ontario, Canada, bisected by a two-lane paved road, supported a small population of Spotted Turtles on one side of the road. To determine if the turtles commonly crossed the road, five turtles (three females, two males) were radio-tracked. All 5 of the radio-tracked turtles came within 30 m of the road, but none of them crossed the road, made use of any other wetland, or left the fen to use upland habitat. Surveys across the road in the remainder of the wetland failed to locate any Spotted Turtles. The range length of the females averaged 202 m (180–244 m) while males averaged 262 m (200–324 m). Minimum Convex Polygon home ranges of the females averaged 1.3 ha (0.7–2.2 ha) while males averaged 2.1 ha (1.7–2.5 ha). Although the Spotted Turtles remained within a portion of a single wetland, this habitat was highly diverse, containing permanent pools, seasonal pools and “upland habitat” consisting of sphagnum hummocks. Despite the fact that Spotted Turtles across their range may face a significant threat from traffic mortality, some populations may be relatively immune to this threat if they remain within large wetlands. The identification and protection of such sites should be a conservation priority. Key Words. home range, radio telemetry,
Added by: Admin |