I studied eight habitat types of south Mississippi from 2009-2010 to examine habitat conditions and faunal communities associated with the presence of gopher tortoise burrows (Gopherus polyphemus). Field methods included burrow surveys, vegetation sampling, mound counts, and point count surveys. Active tortoise burrow presence was influenced by percent coverage of bare ground, native legumes, grass-like plants, basal area, overstory canopy, and woody plants. Fire ant mound densities were influenced by percent coverage of overstory canopy cover, bare ground, grass-like vegetation, and woody plants. Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and Bachman’s sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis) were detected more frequently in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) dominated habitats supporting gopher tortoises. My findings will be used to address the paucity of information related to gopher tortoise conservation on private and public lands and identify potential areas for inclusion in conservation initiatives supporting longleaf pine restoration or gopher tortoise conservation in the southeastern lower coastal plain.

Gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) are keystone species mainly due to their burrow construction. Gopher tortoises can also impact the plants around them, but it is rarely quantifiable due to constraints in dispersal studies including time period and seasonality of fruit. The objective of this study was to measure the effect gut-passage has on a native Florida stone-pitted shrub, the cocoplum bush (Chrysobalanus icaco), as well as to attempt to model the relationship between the gopher tortoise and the plant using our unique field site. This study shows that gut-passage has a significant effect on the germination rate of the cocoplum, allowing it to germinate faster than control groups. This study also found that a model involving covariates relating to tortoise movement as a predictor for cocoplum intensity was favored over a homogeneous null model. We believe the pattern of plants is nonrandom and relates to the gopher tortoise’s seed dispersal. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Understanding worldwide declines in reptiles due to factors such as habitat loss and emerging infectious disease has become an increasingly important focus in conservation biology. Here, I use novel approaches from the field of landscape genetics to combine spatial genetic data with landscape data at both regional and local spatial scales to explore natural and anthropogenic landscape features that shape population structure and gene flow in a federally threatened reptile, Gopherus polyphemus. I also utilize approaches from the field of spatial epidemiology to examine the extent to which environmental variables can be used to predict the seroprevalence of an associated pathogen Mycoplasma agassizzi in gopher tortoise populations. Using mitochondrial data, I find evidence of a historical barrier to gene flow that appears to coincide with the Apalachicola River. I also discover low genetic diversity and evidence of population bottlenecks in the western portion of the range. My evaluation at the regional scale shows that dispersal is limited by geographic distance, areas of low elevation and major roads ways. A finescale study reveals no evidence of spatial genetic structure within a 14 x 35 km area. However, soil type is significantly correlated with pairwise genetic distances between individuals, suggesting that this variable influences fine-scale population structure in the gopher tortoise. In addition to soil, high density canopy cover is an important factor impeding gene flow at the local level for females, while land cover type explains some of the genetic variance between males. Finally, temperature and precipitation appear to be important predictors of the seroprevalence of the pathogen Mycoplasma agassizii in gopher tortoises. The probability of an individual testing seropositive for exposure to this disease increased with high temperature and low precipitation values. The methods presented in this dissertation evaluate novel approaches for assessing the influence of environmental variables on population structure, dispersal and disease occurrence and could be applied in future studies of other threatened and endangered taxa.

Gopherus polyphemus populations are diminishing throughout their range due to urbanization, fragmentation, and poor management of habitats. Increased population densities, poor habitat quality, and lack of fire may influence disease transmission. Parasite roles within wild tortoise populations are largely unknown, despite evidence these pathogens may pose health risks. This study provides a baseline of gopher tortoise endoparasites across South Florida and reports on how varying environmental and tortoise characteristics may affect endoparasite species prevalence, approximate loads, and overall distributions. Tortoise fecal samples were taken from five differing SF habitats. Seven species of intestinal parasites were discovered from 123 tortoises. Identified parasites include endo-helminths such as cyathostomes, pinworms, ascarids, flukes, and protozoans including Eimeria, Cryptosporidium, and Amoeba species. Significant differences in parasite prevalence and loads were seen between sampling years, seasons, size classes, and sites, however, overall parasite distributions suggest parasitism remains relatively ubiquitous throughout most host and site characteristics. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus; hereinafter, tortoise) is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in the western portion of its range. Across the species’ range, approximately 70 % of potential habitat is privately owned, and these properties are often managed primarily for timber production. However, tortoise ecology on private, working forest landscapes remains poorly understood. To provide a better understanding of tortoise response to active forest management, I evaluated population demographics, movement ecology, and habitat selection of two tortoise populations: former Ben’s Creek Wildlife Management Area (BC) in Washington Parish, Louisiana and Perry County Gopher Tortoise Management Unit (PCGTMU) in Perry County, Mississippi. At BC, tortoises were generally clustered along utility rights-of- way and roadways. At PCGTMU, tortoises were clustered within forest stands with high quality soils. Low recruitment has been documented at BC for the last 25 years. However, PCGTMU appears to have a stable population with active recruitment.