<p>Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) and Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) face population declines range wide, largely because of degradation and loss of habitat in the landscapes  they occupy. Studies of spatial ecology inform land managers of both the resource needs of animal  populations and provide insight on site specific conservation priorities. I examined movements  and habitat use of overlapping populations of Blanding’s Turtles and Wood Turtles at a site in  northern Michigan. I used radio telemetry to locate turtles of each species over the course of two  active seasons. I examined full active season and bi-weekly movement patterns and compared  activity between the species and sexes of each using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA)  and repeated measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA), respectively. Using multiple  commonly used spatial metrics, including range length, 100% minimum convex polygons (MCP),  95% MCP, 50% MCP, and 95% kernel density estimation (KDE), I estimated seasonal activity  ranges of turtles and examined site fidelity, making comparisons of species and sexes using two?way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Finally, I used Euclidean Distance Analysis  to examine habitat use at Johnson’s 2nd and 3rd orders of selection, making comparisons at different  levels using MANOVA. Movement analyses suggest that Blanding’s Turtles and Wood Turtles at  this site travel similar distances over the active season and during different seasonal periods,  though females of both species make slightly larger movements during the spring nesting season and male Wood Turtles move more than females in late summer. Activity ranges were individually  variable, but comparable among species and sexes. Wood Turtles do appear to exhibit site fidelity  at this site, occupying similarly sized and overlapping activity ranges year to year. Habitat  selection was evident at the 2nd order for Wood Turtles, indicating favorable use of creek, mid?canopy, and high-canopy upland habitat types and avoidance of river habitat. Blanding’s Turtles  also showed selection of habitat at the second order, with scrub-shrub and cut or burned areas  ranking highest among available habitat types. Neither Wood Turtles nor Blanding’s Turtles  showed evidence of habitat selection at the 3rd order, which may indicate an abundance of high?quality habitat available to these species at this site. Maintenance of corridors between high-use  habitat areas, and mitigation of threats especially during times of greater movement may be  advantageous to the conservation of Blanding’s Turtles and Wood Turtles at this site. </p>

<p dir="ltr">Blanding’s turtles (<i>Emydoidea blandingii</i>) and Wood Turtles (<i>Glyptemys insculpta</i>) are two threatened species that face various natural and anthropogenic threats to their populations. Many of these threats cause a decline in their recruitment, which can lead to drastic declines in populations. Females put themselves at-risk during periods of movement. My objectives were to identify portions of the season that females were most at-risk, potential nest predators, preferrable nest microhabitat characteristics, and movement of hatchlings. I studied movements in adult females of both species at a site in Northern Michigan using GPS and radiotelemetry. I compared these movements to the relative level of risk, or resistance, in the path they chose to take. I found both species had relatively similar resistance movements over the entire season. It seems that Blanding’s turtles tend to make more resistant movements during nesting, while Wood Turtles seem to be less resistant. Neither species seems to take the least resistance path available. I also conducted nesting surveys to determine nesting locations and selection characteristics at the site for both species. I did not find any characteristic that predicts nesting locations. The located nests were also recorded via trail cams to assess for predator activity. I recorded many species on trail camera review, but I did not note any predation behavior, all damage to nest cages were caused by humans and their vehicles. Lastly, I used radiotelemetry to analyze movements for hatchling turtles. Hatchlings of both species tended to make short daily movements until they reached a wetland. I also found hatchling’s succumbed to predation, desiccation, and road mortality. My data suggests further research needs to be conducted to expand our knowledge on recruitment threats. Nevertheless, I suggest active management for the threats we have noted. Nest cages seemed to be relatively successful at protecting nests, so I recommend continued nest cages to prevent or deter predators. Head-starting may be a strong strategy to help hatchlings reach a larger size before release. These larger hatchlings would also allow for larger transmitters and longer tracking times. This will help to prevent lost turtles and further our knowledge on hatchling success.</p>

No description available.

No description available.

As habitat loss and fragmentation are major causes of decline in animal species, studying habitat requirements in these species is a key component of their recovery. I investigated the relationship between landscape composition and habitat use of Blanding’s turtles, Emydoidea blandingii, a freshwater turtle threatened by habitat loss and road mortality on most of its Canadian range. In 2010, I conducted a radio-telemetry survey of 44 Blanding’s turtles in southern Québec, Canada, and modelled their home range size from land cover proportions measured at many spatial scales. I also used data from a visual survey conducted in 2008 and 2009 to model wetland occupancy of the species at the landscape scale. Home range size of the Blanding’s turtle was significantly correlated to landscape composition, and the proportions of agriculture, open water and anthropogenic lands had the strongest relationships with home range size. However, those relationships were weak and the models were unable to predict home range size accurately. At the landscape scale, land cover and road density poorly predicted probability of occurrence, and Blanding’s turtles occupied wetlands in both disturbed and natural sites. Management of the species should focus on protecting sites of occurrence with high wetland density, low road density, and sufficient suitable habitat to cover their seasonal movement patterns.

Turtles have long life spans, overlapping generations and promiscuous mating systems. Thus, they are an ideal system with which to investigate the application of conservation genetics methods and assumptions to long-lived organisms. Turtles are also one of the most threatened groups of vertebrates and conservation genetics studies are essential to effective recovery of turtle species. This thesis has two main objectives: 1) to evaluate some common population genetics assumptions with respect to turtles and other long-lived organisms, and 2) to collect important information on the population genetics of threatened turtles in Ontario, which can be used to inform species recovery. In Chapters Two and Three, I describe the development of novel microsatellite markers for the snapping turtle and spiny softshell. In Chapter Four I demonstrate significant genetic structure in populations of the endangered spotted turtle in Ontario, and find that “bottleneck tests” may fail to detect recent population declines in small turtle populations. I also show that spotted turtles do not show the typical correlation between population size and genetic diversity. In Chapter Five I use microsatellite markers developed in Chapter Two and document population structure in the widespread snapping turtle for the first time. I compare these results with results from Chapter Four to test the traditionally accepted hypothesis that genetic diversity is reduced in small, isolated populations compared to large, connected populations. As in Chapter Four, my results suggest that the usual patterns of genetic structure and loss of diversity may not apply to turtles. In Chapter Six I conduct a conservation genetics study of the endangered Blanding’s turtle. Finally, in Chapter Seven I combine results from spotted, snapping and Blanding’s turtles to test whether vagility predicts population structure, genetic diversity and significant barriers to gene flow in three species sampled across a single landscape. Analyses reveal minimal congruence in barriers to gene flow and the three species show unexpected and contrasting patterns of diversity across the landscape. Discordant patterns among species highlight areas for further research and shed light on possible cryptic behaviour, and I discuss potential further directions for research in the Summary.

As habitat loss and fragmentation are major causes of decline in animal species, studying habitat requirements in these species is a key component of their recovery. I investigated the relationship between landscape composition and habitat use of Blanding’s turtles, Emydoidea blandingii, a freshwater turtle threatened by habitat loss and road mortality on most of its Canadian range. In 2010, I conducted a radio-telemetry survey of 44 Blanding’s turtles in southern Québec, Canada, and modelled their home range size from land cover proportions measured at many spatial scales. I also used data from a visual survey conducted in 2008 and 2009 to model wetland occupancy of the species at the landscape scale. Home range size of the Blanding’s turtle was significantly correlated to landscape composition, and the proportions of agriculture, open water and anthropogenic lands had the strongest relationships with home range size. However, those relationships were weak and the models were unable to predict home range size accurately. At the landscape scale, land cover and road density poorly predicted probability of occurrence, and Blanding’s turtles occupied wetlands in both disturbed and natural sites. Management of the species should focus on protecting sites of occurrence with high wetland density, low road density, and sufficient suitable habitat to cover their seasonal movement patterns.

Turtles have long life spans, overlapping generations and promiscuous mating systems. Thus, they are an ideal system with which to investigate the application of conservation genetics methods and assumptions to long-lived organisms. Turtles are also one of the most threatened groups of vertebrates and conservation genetics studies are essential to effective recovery of turtle species. This thesis has two main objectives: 1) to evaluate some common population genetics assumptions with respect to turtles and other long-lived organisms, and 2) to collect important information on the population genetics of threatened turtles in Ontario, which can be used to inform species recovery. In Chapters Two and Three, I describe the development of novel microsatellite markers for the snapping turtle and spiny softshell. In Chapter Four I demonstrate significant genetic structure in populations of the endangered spotted turtle in Ontario, and find that “bottleneck tests” may fail to detect recent population declines in small turtle populations. I also show that spotted turtles do not show the typical correlation between population size and genetic diversity. In Chapter Five I use microsatellite markers developed in Chapter Two and document population structure in the widespread snapping turtle for the first time. I compare these results with results from Chapter Four to test the traditionally accepted hypothesis that genetic diversity is reduced in small, isolated populations compared to large, connected populations. As in Chapter Four, my results suggest that the usual patterns of genetic structure and loss of diversity may not apply to turtles. In Chapter Six I conduct a conservation genetics study of the endangered Blanding’s turtle. Finally, in Chapter Seven I combine results from spotted, snapping and Blanding’s turtles to test whether vagility predicts population structure, genetic diversity and significant barriers to gene flow in three species sampled across a single landscape. Analyses reveal minimal congruence in barriers to gene flow and the three species show unexpected and contrasting patterns of diversity across the landscape. Discordant patterns among species highlight areas for further research and shed light on possible cryptic behaviour, and I discuss potential further directions for research in the Summary.

As habitat loss and fragmentation are major causes of decline in animal species, studying habitat requirements in these species is a key component of their recovery. I investigated the relationship between landscape composition and habitat use of Blanding’s turtles, Emydoidea blandingii, a freshwater turtle threatened by habitat loss and road mortality on most of its Canadian range. In 2010, I conducted a radio-telemetry survey of 44 Blanding’s turtles in southern Québec, Canada, and modelled their home range size from land cover proportions measured at many spatial scales. I also used data from a visual survey conducted in 2008 and 2009 to model wetland occupancy of the species at the landscape scale. Home range size of the Blanding’s turtle was significantly correlated to landscape composition, and the proportions of agriculture, open water and anthropogenic lands had the strongest relationships with home range size. However, those relationships were weak and the models were unable to predict home range size accurately. At the landscape scale, land cover and road density poorly predicted probability of occurrence, and Blanding’s turtles occupied wetlands in both disturbed and natural sites. Management of the species should focus on protecting sites of occurrence with high wetland density, low road density, and sufficient suitable habitat to cover their seasonal movement patterns.

<p>  </p> <p>Many species of turtle are facing serious declines from multiple anthropogenic causes. One such turtle native to the United States, the Blanding’s Turtle (<em>Emydoidea blandingii</em>), has faced declines in nearly every sector of their range, yet few populations have known recorded demographics, such as abundance, density, sex ratio, and body sizes. To inform managers of these crucial demographic measures of three spatially adjacent populations on Camp Grayling, MI, I implemented a capture-mark-recapture study from 2021 to 2022. I calculated Lincoln-Petersen Index and ran constant, time-varying, and behavioral response models for both full and conditional likelihoods in Program MARK. All best fit models estimated populations ≥30. The three populations sampled at Camp Grayling were low in abundance, densities, and biomass compared to some more well-known populations. Adult body weight means were 1456 g and 1223 g for males and females, respectively. Mean carapace lengths for males was 22.42 cm and females were 20.11 cm. The males of these populations were significantly larger than the mean found across the Blanding’ Turtles range. There is evidence of recruitment within these populations. A long-term research plan should be implemented and focus on investigating connectedness of these populations, as well as building data for population viability analyses. Additionally, immediate conservation action should take place to protect this vulnerable species.</p>