Turtle POP: Effects of urbanization on population structure of freshwater turtles

Turtle POP, one of EREN’s initial projects, was designed to investigate the effects of landscape characteristics on population structure in freshwater turtles. Proposed standardized methodology and a curriculum template made it feasible to implement the project as laboratories in undergraduate courses or independent research projects. Implementation of the study across the EREN network made sampling at a large spatial scale feasible. A manuscript addressing urbanization effects and age and sex ratios in freshwater turtle populations has been accepted in Conservation Biology. The project is ongoing and has the potential to generate additional collaborative studies to explain observed patterns.