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Roe JH, Chavez MS, Hudson AE. Ecological and Fitness Correlates of Personality in a Long-lived Terrestrial Turtle. HERPETOLOGICA 2023; 79:9-21. [PMID: 38009091 PMCID: PMC10673623 DOI: 10.1655/herpetologica-d-22-00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
An individual's behavioral tendencies (i.e., personality or temperament) can influence its interactions with the environment and thus have important ecological and evolutionary consequences for animal populations. Boldness, defined as an individual's tendency to engage in risk-taking activities, is a phenotypically variable trait linked with numerous behavioral and fitness outcomes in free-ranging animals. We examined variation and repeatability of boldness and other behavioral characteristics in two wild Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) populations using radiotelemetry, and assessed fitness correlates of boldness over multiple years. We observed large amounts of among-individual variation and within-individual consistency (i.e., repeatability) of boldness as measured by their head emergence latency following a standardized confinement assay. Individuals were also consistent in several in-field behaviors including movement rate, home range size, and date of emergence from overwintering refuges. Individuals with shorter head emergence latencies (i.e., bolder turtles) had larger home ranges, emerged earlier from overwintering dormancy, and experienced moderately lower survival compared with shy individuals. Boldness did not affect time spent within the thermal preference range, somatic growth rates, or the frequency of mating or same-sex aggressive encounters. Boldness and its effects on in-field behaviors differed between sexes and populations, and the relationship between boldness and survival was temporally variable. Our results suggest possible intrinsic behavioral types in T. c. carolina and highlight the importance of long-term and multipopulation studies when examining ecological and evolutionary processes that shape personality phenotypes in turtles.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H Roe
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, NC 28372, USA
| | - Maria S. Chavez
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, NC 28372, USA
| | - Abbie E. Hudson
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, NC 28372, USA
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Graham A, Nguyen J, Sasaki K. Woodland Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) Abundance Declines with Increasing Urban Land Use in the Piedmont. ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1643/h2022001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Graham
- Winthrop University Department of Biology,
701 Oakland Ave, Rock Hill, South Carolina 29733; (AG) ; and (KS) . ORCID: (AG) 0000-0002-0073-6056
| | - Jack Nguyen
- Winthrop University Department of Biology,
701 Oakland Ave, Rock Hill, South Carolina 29733; (AG) ; and (KS) . ORCID: (AG) 0000-0002-0073-6056
| | - Kiyoshi Sasaki
- Winthrop University Department of Biology,
701 Oakland Ave, Rock Hill, South Carolina 29733; (AG) ; and (KS) . ORCID: (AG) 0000-0002-0073-6056
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Jones MT, Willey LL, Mays JD, Dodd CK. Wildfire, Depredation, and Synergistic Management Challenges Contribute to the Decline of a Significant Population of Florida Box Turtles (Terrapene bauri). CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1480.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael T. Jones
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003 USA []
| | - Lisabeth L. Willey
- American Turtle Observatory, 90 Whitaker Road, New Salem, Massachusetts 01355 USA
| | - Jonathan D. Mays
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, Florida 32601 USA []
| | - C. Kenneth Dodd
- Division of Herpetology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 USA []
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Roe JH, Graeter GJ, LaVere AA, Somers AB. State‐wide population characteristics and long‐term trends for eastern box turtles in North Carolina. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- John H. Roe
- Department of Biology University of North Carolina Pembroke Pembroke North Carolina28372USA
| | - Gabrielle J. Graeter
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission 1701 Mail Service Center Raleigh North Carolina27699USA
| | - Ashley A. LaVere
- Department of Biology University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro North Carolina27402USA
| | - Ann B. Somers
- Department of Biology University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro North Carolina27402USA
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Harris KA, Clark JD, Elmore RD, Harper CA. Direct and Indirect Effects of Fire on Eastern Box Turtles. J Wildl Manage 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katie A. Harris
- University of Tennessee, Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries 2431 Joe Johnson Drive Knoxville TN 37996 USA
| | - Joseph D. Clark
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Southern Appalachian Research BranchUniversity of Tennessee 112 Plant Biotech, 2505 EJ Chapman Drive Knoxville TN 37996 USA
| | - R. Dwayne Elmore
- Oklahoma State University, Natural Resource Ecology and Management 008C Agricultural Hall Stillwater OK 74078 USA
| | - Craig A. Harper
- University of Tennessee, Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries 2431 Joe Johnson Drive Knoxville TN 37996 USA
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MORTALITY INVESTIGATION OF MONITORED EASTERN BOX TURTLES (TERRAPENE CAROLINA CAROLINA) IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS, USA, FROM 2016–18. J Wildl Dis 2020. [DOI: 10.7589/2019-01-016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Roe JH, Wild KH, Chavez MS. Responses of a forest-dwelling terrestrial turtle, Terrapene Carolina, to prescribed fire in a Longleaf Pine ecosystem. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT 2019; 432:949-956. [PMID: 30662144 PMCID: PMC6334771 DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2018.10.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Prescribed fire is commonly used as a tool to meet a range of forest management goals. Owing to their limited movement abilities, terrestrial turtles are likely to be at high risk of injury and mortality, and to experience other fitness consequences with population-level implications from fire. Using radiotelemetry, we studied the responses of Eastern Box Turtles, Terrapene carolina carolina, to prescribed fire management in a sandhills Longleaf Pine forest system over a five-year period and compared our results to a nearby population in an unburned coastal plain location. Individual variation in turtle survival was strongly dependent on how frequently and extensively the areas were burned, with annual survival rates of 94.5% in unburned areas decreasing to 45.9 % in the most extensively burned areas. Turtles at the fire-maintained sandhills site had annual survival rates 4.9 % less than at the unburned coastal plain site, and females had annual survival rates 6.8 % less than males. Survival varied seasonally, with greatest mortality rates in winter and spring, especially among females. Growth rates and body condition did not differ between sites, nor did they vary according to fire extent and frequency at the fire-maintained site. Although mortality was greater and spatially variable at the fire-maintained site, annual survival rates across the site (86 - 90 % for females and males, respectively) were comparable to other stable populations of T. carolina. The lesser than expected mortality rate at the fire-maintained site was likely the result of turtles' strong selection of mesic hardwood forests near bottomlands and streams - habitats that may serve as refugia from fire. In areas where T. carolina conservation is a priority, land managers should integrate maintenance of fire refuge habitats into burn planning to minimize unintended negative impacts to this imperiled species.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H Roe
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, North Carolina 28372, USA,
| | - Kristoffer H Wild
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, North Carolina 28372, USA,
| | - Maria S Chavez
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, North Carolina 28372, USA
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Laarman PB, Keenlance PW, Altobelli JT, Schumacher CM, Huber P, Jacquot JJ, Moore JA. Ecology of neonate eastern box turtles with prescribed fire implications. J Wildl Manage 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick B. Laarman
- Biology Department; Grand Valley State University; Allendale MI 49401 USA
| | - Paul W. Keenlance
- Biology Department; Grand Valley State University; Allendale MI 49401 USA
| | | | - Chris M. Schumacher
- Huron-Manistee National Forests, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service; 1755 S. Mitchell St. Cadillac; MI 49601 USA
| | - Phillip Huber
- Huron-Manistee National Forests, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service; 1755 S. Mitchell St. Cadillac; MI 49601 USA
| | - Joseph J. Jacquot
- Biology Department; Grand Valley State University; Allendale MI 49401 USA
| | - Jennifer A. Moore
- Biology Department; Grand Valley State University; Allendale MI 49401 USA
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Effects of Drought on Western Pond Turtle Survival and Movement Patterns. JOURNAL OF FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 2017. [DOI: 10.3996/012016-jfwm-005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Drought has the ability to affect the persistence of small animal populations, especially those tied to aquatic habitats. We studied the response of western pond turtles Actinemys marmorata to California's worst drought on record. From 2009 through 2015 we used telemetry to track movements and assess survival of 19 western pond turtles in a stock pond at the San Joaquin Experimental Range in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, in Madera County, California. In 2013 the pond dried in late summer and winter rains were insufficient for pond formation. The pond remained dry through the end of the study in March 2015. In years with below average precipitation the pond often dried completely in late summer; however, the lack of a pond forming in winter and spring had not been previously documented. We observed no mortalities of radiotagged western pond turtles in years with normal precipitation. All observed mortalities occurred in drought years and in years when the pond completely dried up in the summer or never formed. Results from known-fate survival models revealed that survival decreased with increasing drought. Model results also indicated that male survival was slightly higher than female survival (19.1% vs. 11.5%), although the 95% confidence intervals overlapped. We observed high variability in western pond turtle movement distances from the pond in the final 2 y of the study. Two individuals that survived to the end of the study showed unique movement patterns. One young male moved frequently, accumulating a large total distance, moved into new areas, and eventually found his way into a livestock water trough. The other, a young female, moved 2.6 km from the pond (a minimum total distance traveled of 3.3 km based on telemetry locations) and emigrated to a pond on a neighboring ranch. Turtles that died exhibited no distinctive behaviors. After the pond dried western pond turtles remained terrestrial for long periods, with one surviving individual remaining out of water for 617 consecutive days, which is an unprecedented finding for this species to our knowledge. Our findings suggest that increased frequency and severity of droughts can affect the resiliency of small, isolated western pond turtle populations, especially those in ephemeral aquatic environments. These small populations are essential to the long-term survival of the species because of the current fragmented distribution of the species.
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Mitchell SM, Bodensteiner BL, Strickland JT, Quick JK, Janzen FJ. Habitat alteration and survival rates of the ornate box turtle. J Wildl Manage 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Mitchell
- Iowa State University; Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology; 251 Bessey Hall Ames IA 50011 USA
| | - Brooke L. Bodensteiner
- Iowa State University; Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology; 251 Bessey Hall Ames IA 50011 USA
| | - Jeramie T. Strickland
- United States Fish and Wildlife Service; Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge; Savanna District, 7071 Riverview Road Thomson IL 61285 USA
| | - James K. Quick
- North Carolina A&T State University; Greensboro NC 27411 USA
| | - Fredric J. Janzen
- Iowa State University; Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology; 251 Bessey Hall Ames IA 50011 USA
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