Spatial Ecology of Juvenile Captive-reared Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys Temminckii) in Northeastern Louisiana
Author: Cody Lee Townsend
Publisher:
Published: 2016
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13:
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Author: Cody Lee Townsend
Publisher:
Published: 2016
Total Pages: 0
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DOWNLOAD EBOOKAuthor: Mitchell James Ray
Publisher:
Published: 2010
Total Pages: 126
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DOWNLOAD EBOOKAuthor: Mitchell B. East
Publisher:
Published: 2012
Total Pages: 158
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKIn Oklahoma, the alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) has experienced declines and recent efforts to conserve the species have focused on reintroducing captive-reared juveniles. The effect of the reintroduction on other aquatic turtles is not known and feeding behavior of juvenile M. temminckii is not understood. The following studies were conducted to 1) compare the diet of captive-reared juvenile M. temminckii to that of wild juveniles and investigate the diet overlap of juvenile M. temminckii with adult female Graptemys ouachitensis in the Caney River, where M. temminckii have been recently reintroduced, in comparison to Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) where the two species have co-occurred indefinitely, ; 2) determine if juveniles reared with exposure to a single food item exhibit innate feeding preferences; and 3) define the current status of aquatic turtles at SNWR in comparison to data collected a decade ago. There were noticeable differences between the diet of captive-reared and wild juvenile M. temminckii. There was greater overlap of juvenile M. temminckii and adult female G. ouachitensis diet at the Caney River. Juvenile M. temminckii showed some innate prey preference and foraging capability. There were large declines in trapping rates of all species, composition of the aquatic turtle community changed dramatically, and changes in the M. temminckii population indicate that unknown factors have impacted turtles at SNWR.
Author: Sarah Spangler
Publisher:
Published: 2017
Total Pages: 132
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DOWNLOAD EBOOKLittle is known about the first year of life for many of the world’s freshwater turtles. This is due in part to their cryptic nature and the difficulty of locating hatchlings in the wild. The lack of information about this demographically important age group has led researchers to draw conclusions from indirect inferences about survival rates and ecological roles of hatchlings that may or may not be accurate. To begin filling in some of these gaps, I focused on the first year in an alligator snapping turtle’s life. I studied: (1) circadian and circannual patterns of activity, (2) growth rates and how they are related to activity rates, (3) habitat preferences, (4) fall movement patterns, and (5) predation patterns. My study site was within the species’ natural range in southeastern Oklahoma. Unlike adults, hatchlings followed a predominantly diurnal activity pattern for much of the year, with peak activity occurring during the mid-hours of the day. The diurnal habit of hatchlings may be a strategy to temporally partition themselves from nocturnal predators. There were no significant relationships between growth rates and activity rates during any period, potentially due to small sample size. Hatchlings were located in areas of increased cover and shallower water depths, when compared to random locations. Their movement patterns were characterized by an initial movement away from the site of release to a location with suitable habitat characteristics, and they tended to stay at these locations for extended periods. I documented depredation by fish, but not by terrestrial predators such as raccoons.
Author: Brandon Tappmeyer
Publisher:
Published: 2019
Total Pages: 102
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii), is a species of conservation concern that is the subject of multiple head-start and reintroduction efforts across its range. In captive propagation programs, producing offspring that are in optimal physiological condition maximizes the likelihood of success after release. The purpose of my study was to compare stress and body composition between one free-ranging reintroduced population and two captive populations. The two captive populations were both housed in southern Oklahoma, but one group was reared indoors whereas the other inhabited outdoor ponds at a national fish hatchery. I used circulating glucocorticoid (corticosterone) concentrations as an indicator of stress level and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to estimate body composition. Corticosterone concentrations did not differ between captive and free-ranging populations, possibly suggesting that corticosterone is a poor predictor of stress in this species or under chronically stressful conditions. DXA accurately and precisely estimated fat mass (FM), lean tissue mass (LTM), and bone mineral mass (BMM). The captive-outdoor and free-ranging populations exhibited greater BMM than the captive-indoor population. However, both captive populations exhibited higher FM and lower LTM than turtles in the free-ranging population. A body condition index calculated by regressing log-transformed mass on length did not correlate with FM or BMM, but did correlate significantly with LTM.
Author: Joshua T. Ream
Publisher:
Published: 2008
Total Pages: 250
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DOWNLOAD EBOOKWe used marked-recapture and radiotelemetry to monitor non-native juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles, Macrochelys temminckii, following release at the Wolf River Wildlife Management Area, Fayette County, Tennessee. This species, endemic to the Southeastern United States, is North America's largest freshwater turtle and considered of conservation concern in Tennessee and throughout much of its historical range ... Our study aimed to augment the efforts of the (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency) by monitoring the post-release movements and habitat selection of introduced juveniles in two types of palustrine habitats (a cypress/tupelo dominated slough and the main river channel).
Author: J. Daren Riedle
Publisher:
Published: 2001
Total Pages: 242
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DOWNLOAD EBOOKAuthor: Amity Ann Bass
Publisher:
Published: 2007
Total Pages: 106
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DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe objective of this study was to gather data concerning home range, movements, and habitat use of hatchling Alligator Snapping Turtles ... in order to better manage for this species. Nineteen hatchlings were tracked at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge during 2006. Ten animals were successfully tracked during the spring and nine during the fall. Hatchlings that were incubated in the laboratory or naturally on the railroad causeway were heavier and had longer carapace lengths than those naturally incubated along the forest-old field edge of the peninsula (p
Author: Jessica Leigh Miller
Publisher:
Published: 2012
Total Pages: 120
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DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a large freshwater species that has experienced population declines throughout much of its range. In an effort to reestablish an extirpated population in southern Oklahoma, adult M. temminckii were released at Tishomingo National Wildlife Refuge in 2007. I investigated several aspects of M. temminckii reproductive biology within this reintroduced population, including nest-site selection, reproductive and nest predation rates, and patterns of temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in natural nests. Water depth two meters from the shoreline and percentage ground cover were important factors in nest-site selection. The nest predation rate was 76% when efforts were made to protect nests and the average clutch size in intact nests was 22.4 eggs. The overall sex ratio in 2010 recruits was strongly female-biased (91.8% female) and a strongly skewed population sex ratio may become a serious threat to this reintroduced population if this trend continues. I also developed a technique to reliably estimate clutch size from predated M. temminckii shell fragments which will improve estimates of mean clutch size (and therefore annual fecundity) for the population. The persistence of several adult M. temminckii and evidence of successful reproduction and recruitment are positive signs, but post-release monitoring will need to continue for several more years in order for this reintroduction to be considered a success.
Author: Anthony C. Steyermark
Publisher:
Published: 2008-03-31
Total Pages: 250
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DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis volume synthesizes all that is known about the common snapping turtle to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive resource on the species' evolution, physiology, behavior, and life history. Anthony C. Steyermark, Michael S. Finkler, Ronald J. Brooks, and a team of experts detail the systematics, energetics, growth patterns, sex determination, and population genetics of snapping turtles and devote special attention to the fossil record of the snapping turtle family Chelydridae.