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Microhabitat Use by Blanding’s Turtles (<i>Emydoidea blandingii</i>) and Wood Turtles (<i>Glyptemys insculpta</i>) in a Shared LandscapeReine K Sovey (8812556) 08 May 2020 (has links)
<p>Understanding and adequately
protecting habitat is at the forefront of modern conservation concerns. Turtles
are especially vulnerable to habitat loss, and are therefore a top priority for
habitat research. To help meet this need, I used radio telemetry to collect
microhabitat data from two imperiled species of turtles that occupy a military
base in Michigan. Preliminary data exploration was carried out with principal
components analysis (PCA). Microhabitat use was then modeled for each species using
conditional logistic regression (CLR), with a generalized estimating equation
(GEE) element to limit bias due to individual variation. Finally, I compared
habitat use between sympatric Blanding’s and Wood Turtles using Mann-Whitney U
tests and Mood’s median tests to investigate the degree of overlap in
microhabitat use when these species occur in sympatry. Evidence for
microhabitat selection in Blanding’s Turtles was weak, suggesting that they
likely do not make habitat decisions at this level. Wood Turtles selected sites
that were farther from water and had fewer trees, less overstory canopy cover,
and more ground cover. Additionally, the two species differed in several
aspects of microhabitat use; Wood Turtles were more terrestrial and more
tolerant of tree cover than Blanding’s Turtles. Patterns of microhabitat use
found in this study match previously observed behavior of turtles in high
quality habitat, suggesting that managers should work to maintain the habitat
currently available at Camp Grayling. Additionally, because both turtle species
were associated with open canopy, selective logging could benefit turtles
provided care is given to timing and methods. </p>
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THE MOVEMENT PATTERNS AND HOME RANGES OF BLANDING’S TURTLES (EMYDOIDEA BLANDINGII) IN TWO PROTECTED AREAS IN ONTARIO CANADAChristensen, Robert J. 04 1900 (has links)
<p>The distribution of Blanding’s turtles in North America is centered on the Great Lakes region, where the impacts from high levels of development have reduced and isolated populations. They are particularly sensitive to habitat loss and fragmentation because of their broad habitat requirements, migratory behaviour, and relatively large seasonal movements and home ranges. Consequently, Blanding’s turtles have been designated a species at-risk throughout the majority of their geographic range. In 2011 we conducted a radio-tracking program to compare the home ranges and movement patterns of Blanding’s turtles in two eco-regions of Ontario that have contrasting habitat and landscape characteristics: Georgian Bay Islands National Park and Rondeau Provincial Park. We also used GPS loggers to supplement data collection by radio-tracking and to evaluate the effectiveness of GPS loggers in tracking the movements of a semi-aquatic species. We found differences in home range between our two study populations that may be linked to landscape features and seasonal differences in movement within the population in Georgian Bay Islands National Park. We also determined that GPS loggers, when used in combination with radio-tracking, can effectively track the movements of Blanding’s turtles with a higher temporal and spatial resolution than by radio-tracking alone. This study highlights the importance of developing management strategies that are tailored to the spatial requirements of distinct populations, and the need for conservation measures that protect aquatic and terrestrial habitat surrounding the main activity centres of Blanding’s turtles.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)
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