The effects of agricultural development on wood turtles (Clemmys insculpta) were investigated in Quebec during 1994 and 1995. Age structures, growth, and mutilation rates were compared between an agricultural population and a reference site in an undisturbed forest. Turtles in the 0-4 year age class were absent from samples taken at the agricultural site. Overall, 23% less juveniles were encountered at the agricultural site. In addition, relatively fewer adults were captured from the 20+ age class. Shell injuries were twice as common at the agricultural site when compared to the forest site; whereas, limb amputations were twice as frequent at the forest site. Although shell injuries inflicted by predators occurred with similar frequencies at both sites, there were 2.7 times more fractures resulting from anthropogenic sources at the agricultural site. Multiple limb loss occurred only at the forest site. Tail amputations occurred with similar frequencies at both sites. Casts of pleural scute annuli revealed that turtles at the agricultural site had significantly lower growth rates during their second decade of life. Females at the forest site were significantly larger for all measurements recorded; whereas, males differed only with respect to carapace and plastron lengths. Agricultural development may have resulted in reduced growth, recruitment, and predation rates, as well as increased adult mortality.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.27403 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | Saumure, Raymond A. |
| Contributors | Bider, J. Roger (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Natural Resource Sciences.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001574898, proquestno: MQ29779, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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