<p> This study investigates the population dynamics, movements, and habitat use of a population of western pond turtles in Orange County, California from 2008-2012 using radio telemetry and mark-recapture data. Western pond turtles have been thought to be declining throughout their range. However, few studies have documented their status in southern California, where urbanization has changed the landscape drastically in recent decades. I individually marked 236 pond turtles using hoop-net funnel traps and estimated the population size at 308 individuals, which is the largest estimate reported in southern California. Mean capture per unit effort was 5.03±0.87. Mean female carapace length (CL) (142±14mm) was not significantly larger than males (139±14 mm). I also documented 20 nest and 9 estivation locations. Mean distances included 176 ±130.80 meters (m) and 91±58.6 m. These data identify the population demography, which can be a metric of population stability. Other known populations need to be estimated to determine their regional status.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10105256 |
| Date | 03 June 2016 |
| Creators | Nerhus, Barry S., Jr. |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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