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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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Cann AA, Muñoz A, Lentini I, Benjamin T, Thompson D, Anne Harden L, Milanovich JR. Spatial and thermal ecology of juvenile head‐started Blanding's turtles
Emydoidea blandingii. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/wlb3.01074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Armand A. Cann
- Dept of Biology, Loyola Univ. Chicago Chicago IL USA
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chicago IL USA
| | - Andrés Muñoz
- Dept of Biology, Loyola Univ. Chicago Chicago IL USA
| | - Isabella Lentini
- Dept of Biology, Loyola Univ. Chicago Chicago IL USA
- Nursing Dept, DePaul Univ. Chicago IL USA
| | | | - Daniel Thompson
- Dept of Natural Resources, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County Wheaton IL USA
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Home Range and Habitat Use of Florida Box Turtles (Terrapene bauri) in the Ten Thousand Islands, Florida. J HERPETOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1670/20-071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
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Robertson EP, Tanner EP, Elmore RD, Fuhlendorf SD, Mays JD, Knutson J, Weir JR, Loss SR. Fire management alters the thermal landscape and provides multi-scale thermal options for a terrestrial turtle facing a changing climate. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:782-796. [PMID: 34741780 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
As effects of climate change intensify, there is a growing need to understand the thermal properties of landscapes and their influence on wildlife. A key thermal property of landscapes is vegetation structure and composition. Management approaches can alter vegetation and consequently the thermal landscape, potentially resulting in underappreciated consequences for wildlife thermoregulation. Consideration of spatial scale can clarify how management overlaid onto existing vegetation patterns affects thermal properties of landscapes relevant to wildlife. We examined effects of temperature, fire management, and vegetation structure on multi-scale habitat selection of an ectothermic vertebrate (the turtle Terrapene carolina triunguis) in the Great Plains of the central United States by linking time-since-fire data from 18 experimental burn plots to turtle telemetry locations and thermal and vegetation height data. Within three 60-ha experimental landscapes, each containing six 10-ha sub-blocks that are periodically burned, we found that turtles select time-since-fire gradients differently depending on maximum daily ambient temperature. At moderate temperatures, turtles selected sub-blocks with recent (<1 year) time-since-fire, but during relatively hot and cool conditions, they selected sub-blocks with later (2-3 year) time-since-fire that provided thermal buffering compared with recently burned sub-blocks. Within 10-ha sub-blocks, turtles selected locations with taller vegetation during warmer conditions that provided thermal buffering. Thermal performance curves revealed that turtle activity declined as temperatures exceeded ~24-29°C, and on "heat days" (≥29°C) 73% of turtles were inactive compared with 37% on non-heat days, emphasizing that thermal extremes may lead to opportunity costs (i.e., foregone benefits turtles could otherwise accrue if active). Our results indicate that management approaches that promote a mosaic of vegetation heights, like spatiotemporally dynamic fire, can provide thermal refuges at multiple spatial scales and thus be an actionable way to provide wildlife with multiple thermal options in the context of ongoing and future climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen P Robertson
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
- South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Evan P Tanner
- Department of Rangeland and Wildlife Science, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, USA
| | - R Dwayne Elmore
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Samuel D Fuhlendorf
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Jonathan D Mays
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Jennifer Knutson
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - John R Weir
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Scott R Loss
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
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Ward-Fear G, Brown GP, Pearson D, Shine R. Untangling the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on habitat selection by a tropical rodent. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12895. [PMID: 34145308 PMCID: PMC8213835 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91748-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how animal populations respond to environmental factors is critical because large-scale environmental processes (e.g., habitat fragmentation, climate change) are impacting ecosystems at unprecedented rates. On an overgrazed floodplain in north-western Australia, a native rodent (Pale Field Rat, Rattus tunneyi) constructs its burrows primarily beneath an invasive tree (Chinee Apple, Ziziphus mauritiana) rather than native trees. The dense thorny foliage of the Chinee Apple may allow high rat densities either because of abiotic effects (shade, in a very hot environment) or biotic processes (protection from trampling and soil compaction by feral horses, and/or predation). To distinguish between these hypotheses, we manipulated Chinee Apple foliage to modify biotic factors (access to horses and predators) but not shade levels. We surveyed the rat population with Elliott traps under treatment and control trees and in the open woodland, in two seasons (the breeding season—January, and the nesting season—May). In the breeding season, we ran giving-up density experiments (GUD) with food trays, to assess the perceived risk of predation by rats across our three treatments. Selective trimming of foliage did not affect thermal regimes underneath the trees but did allow ingress of horses and we observed two collapsed burrows as a consequence (although long term impacts of horses were not measured). The perceived predation risk also increased (GUD values at food trays increased) and was highest in the open woodland. Our manipulation resulted in a shift in rat sex ratios (indicating female preference for breeding under control but not foliage-trimmed trees) and influenced rat behaviour (giving-up densities increased; large dominant males inhabited the control but not treatment trees). Our data suggest that the primary benefit of the Chinee Apple tree to native rodents lies in physical protection from predators and (potentially) feral horses, rather than in providing cooler microhabitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Ward-Fear
- School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Office G17, Building 205B Culloden Road, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia. .,School of Life and Environmental Sciences , University of Sydney , Sydney, NSW , 2006 , Australia.
| | - Gregory P Brown
- School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Office G17, Building 205B Culloden Road, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - David Pearson
- Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife, Waneroo, WA , 6065 , Australia
| | - Richard Shine
- School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Office G17, Building 205B Culloden Road, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
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Roe JH, Bayles Z. Overwintering behavior reduces mortality for a terrestrial turtle in forests managed with prescribed fire. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT 2021; 486:118990. [PMID: 35250156 PMCID: PMC8896743 DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2021.118990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Prescribed fire is an essential management practice in pyrogenic ecosystems, but fire can also be a significant disturbance and source of mortality for both target and non-target species. Seasonal periods of animal inactivity may provide opportunities to design burn plans that minimize negative impacts to species of conservation concern, but few studies have rigorously examined this possibility. Using radiotelemetry, we studied overwintering behavior and interactions with fire in a forest-dwelling terrestrial turtle, the Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina), over an eight-year period at two sites that use prescribed fire in forest management. Turtles at both sites selected predominantly hardwood forests and mesic habitats and avoided upland pine forests. Turtles buried deepest (2.9 - 3.2 cm) below the soil-litter interface in late February and then moved gradually shallower until emergence in early April. Emergence timing varied over a 58-day period, but was consistent within individuals from year to year. Turtles also maintained fidelity to refuge locations, but those overwintering in burned areas selected sites over twice as far from refuges used in previous years compared to those in unburned areas. The areas and habitats selected by turtles during winter served as refugia from fire, and those whose refuges did burn remained buffered from lethal temperatures even at shallow burial depths. The only fire-related injury or mortality occurred during seasons of surface activity. Timing burning and other forest management practices during periods of winter dormancy may thus minimize threats to turtle populations, but modifications to prescribed fire regimes must also be balanced with other management objectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H Roe
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, North Carolina 28372, USA
| | - Zachery Bayles
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Pembroke, Pembroke, North Carolina 28372
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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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