2018 ESA Annual Meeting (August 5 -- 10)

PS 18-84 - Marsh madness: A bog turtle home range analysis

Tuesday, August 7, 2018
ESA Exhibit Hall, New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Amy Almond, Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program Collaborative, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, Mike Knoerr, School of Agriculture, Forest, and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, Kyle Barrett, Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC and Rena Borkhataria, Everglades Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Belle Glade, FL
Background/Question/Methods

Radio telemetry has been widely used to monitor the movement and behavior of a variety of wildlife species; however, little research has been done to analyze the movement of the bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii). This critically endangered species has been declining because of urban development and invasive plant growth. However, evaluating the movement and habitat preferences of bog turtles may lead to a solution to their decline and aid in the conservation of other species suffering from similar issues. We used radio telemetry to track the movement of 13 female bog turtles across three mountain bog sites in western North Carolina before, during, and after nesting to compare movement and home ranges across each of the sites. We calculated home range sizes as minimum convex polygons around telemetry points using ArcGIS. We used a non-parametric Kruskal Wallace test to investigate differences among turtles and among sites.

Results/Conclusions

The number of points per turtle ranged from 12 to 30 (mean = 20.846, SD = 5.771, median = 20). Home ranges varied in size from 797 m2 to 9,060.5 m2. The average home range size across the three sites was 3151.885 +/- 2653.199 m2. Home ranges sizes were 4,931.7 m2 +/- 3,680.854 m2 (n = 5, median = 2,491.5 m2), 1,965.083 m2 +/- 929.2491 m2 (n = 6, median = 1,708.25 m2), and 2,262.75 m2 +/- 300.8739 m2 (n = 2, median = 2,262.75 m2) for sites A, B, and C respectively. Home range sizes did not vary significantly among sites (x2 = 2.93, 2 DF, p = 0.23), though one site was dominated by pasture and the other two by scrub/shrub and woody wetlands. Our home range sizes were comparable to those from studies in Virginia and North Carolina, but much smaller than in Pennsylvania. In site A, one turtle attempted to cross a road but was killed by a vehicle, a result of habitat fragmentation. Two other turtles crossed roads and luckily survived. Understanding how and when bog turtles move may lessen the negative impact of urban development on this endangered species.