Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Marshall, Craig Daniel

Titel

Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Ecology Within a Private, Working Forest Landscape

Ort / Verlag

ProQuest Dissertations Publishing

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Uncertainty exists regarding the status of gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations range wide. This uncertainty and the recent proposal by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to reevaluate the species’ designation (i.e., threatened) has stimulated research aimed at identifying tortoise population demographics and viability, movement patterns, and habitat associations throughout its range. Private, working forest landscapes are ubiquitous across the tortoises’ range and populations are known to inhabit and persist within these forests, warranting their integration into tortoise conservation strategies. However, this can be difficult, as there is an incomplete understanding of how tortoises interact with these landscapes. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to estimate abandoned and active tortoise burrow density, evaluate tortoise use, and identify vertebrate burrow commensals within a private, working forest landscape dominated by planted loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and located in the Upper Coastal Plain ecoregion of Georgia, USA. Results from my study indicate that permanently open areas, such as forest roads and utility rights-of-way, and forest stands characterized by early successional vegetation conditions may interact to support tortoise populations within these landscapes. My results also indicate that the adoption of spatially explicit distance sampling models can improve our understanding of the factors influencing tortoise density, such as distance to roads, that are difficult to quantify using standard distance sampling methods. Furthermore, I documented similar use of abandoned, active, and inactive tortoise burrows by vertebrate commensals, indicating the importance of maintaining these structures on the landscape regardless of classification.