Download or read book Population Biology of the Gopher Tortoise Gopherus Polyphemus in Southeast Georgia written by Douglas N. Jones and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Population Biology of the Gopher Tortoise Gopherus Polyphemus in Southeast Georgia written by Douglas N. Jones and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Long term Population Ecology and Movement Patterns of Gopher Tortoises Gopherus Polyphemus in Southwest Georgia written by Alexander David Wright and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation have led to an estimated 80% range-wide decline of gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations across the Southeastern Coastal Plain. Recently, the gopher tortoise was identified as a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act in the eastern part of its range. To support an adaptive landscape planning and decision framework for gopher tortoise conservation, I examined the population dynamics and movement patterns of four gopher tortoise populations on a large private reserve in southwestern Georgia, where tortoises were previously marked/recaptured from 1995-2000. It is critical to understand how tortoise populations vary in space and time at large spatial and temporal scales to protect a long-lived species, such as the gopher tortoise, into perpetuity. With further understanding of the long-term population ecology and movement patterns, we can better evaluate the roles of emigration and survival within populations to inform reserve design and decision analysis for the species' conservation.

Download or read book Gopher Tortoise Gopherus Polyphemus Recovery Plan written by Wendell A. Neal and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Distribution and Population Biology of the Gopher Tortoise Gopherus Polyphemus in South Carolina written by John Stephen Wright and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Demography of Two Insular Populations of the Gopher Tortoise Gopherus Polyphemus Daudin in a Reservoir in Southwestern Georgia written by Edward Earl Wester and published by . This book was released on 1986 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Species Profile Gopher Tortoise Gopherus Polyphemus on Military Installations in the Southeastern United States written by and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 39 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is the only tortoise that occurs east of the Mississippi River. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has separated the species into two main populations. The western population (southwest Mississippi and southeast Louisiana) is Federally listed as threatened; the eastern population, which occurs in southern Alabama and Georgia, extreme southwestern South Carolina, and most of Florida, is a former candidate for listing as threatened. Gopher tortoises occupy a wide range of open, upland habitats with a well-drained, deep sandy substrate, primarily longleaf pine-xerophytic oak woodlands (sandhills). They have been documented on several military installations in the Southeast. This report is one of a series of 'Species Profiles' being developed for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species inhabiting southeastern United States plant communities. The work is being conducted as part of the Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). The report is designed to supplement information provided in plant community management reports for major United States plant communities found on military installations. Information provided on the gopher tortoise includes status, life history and ecology, habitat requirements, impacts and cause of decline, management and protection, and inventory and monitoring.

Download or read book The Role of Gopher Tortoise Burrows Gopherus Polyphemus in Shaping Herpetofaunal Diversity in the Sandhills of Southeast Georgia written by Amy Dawn Gaskell and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author's abstract: Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) are known to have large numbers of invertebrate and vertebrate species associated with their burrows. I compared herpetofaunal species diversity and richness at Gopher Tortoise burrows and random points not near burrows on a sandhill in Southeast Georgia. I also compared habitat structure between burrows and random arrays. Trapping took place from March 1, 2007 to August 30, 2007. Species richness for all months combined was significantly higher at Gopher Tortoise burrows than random arrays (Random = 3.60 " 0.43, Burrow = 5.20 " 0.57). Species diversity was not significantly different between burrow and random arrays; however, there was a trend showing higher diversity at burrows (Random = 0.67 " 0.08, Burrow = 0.78 " 0.06). Species diversity and richness were analyzed separately for each month. Species diversity and richness did not differ between months (March August) or between arrays. Percent canopy cover and plant species richness were significantly lower at Gopher Tortoise burrows, and there was a trend towards more ground cover at burrows as well. The results of this study show that species may take refuge in the burrow of the Gopher Tortoise, especially when temperatures are relatively low. This study has provided some evidence to support the status of the Gopher Tortoise as a keystone species in sandhill habitats.

Download or read book Home Range Reproduction and Habitat Characteristics of the Female Gopher Tortoise Gopherus Polyphemus in Southeast Georgia written by Maggie Jo Mitchell and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author's abstract: The relationship among female gopher tortoise home range, size, reproduction, habitat characteristics and season were studied for a two-year period (May 2002-May 2004) on Fort Stewart Army Reserve (FSAR) in southeast Georgia. Tortoises were studied in four sectors or regions on Ft. Stewart that contain the longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem. Vegetation characteristics were consistent between the different areas that tortoises inhabited. Soil types were similar between areas and consisted of Blanton, Bonifay, Fuquay, Albany Sand, Chipley, Echaw, Centenary, Stilson and Tifton soil types. Vegetation, temperature, and rainfall data were collected and compared with female home range. Reproductive data were collected for the same females for three consecutive reproductive seasons (n=35). Yearly variation in reproductive output was observed within females but was not correlated with habitat characteristics or home range. Rainfall and temperature were monitored with a negative relationship observed between rainfall and reproduction. Female size was not correlated wiht home range. Home range was also not correlated with clutch size or habitat characteristics measured. Cumulative home range did tend to increase with study duration (one year vs. two-year).

Download or read book The Conservation Biology of Tortoises written by IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group and published by IUCN. This book was released on 1989 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Ecologist Developed Spatially Explicit Dynamic Landscape Models written by James D. Westervelt and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-04-14 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is written for ecologists interested in capturing their understandings of how natural systems work in software – to help inform their work and communicate the consequences of proposed management plans. Historically, ecologists had to rely on the skills of trained computer programmers to modeling natural systems, but now a new generation of software is allowing ecologists to directly capture their understandings of systems in software. This book is a compilation of spatially explicit simulation models developed by ecologists and planners without any formal computer programming skills. Readers will be inspired to believe that they too can create similar models of the systems with which they are familiar.

Download or read book The Effect of Forage Quality on Reproduction and Growth of the Gopher Tortoise Gopherus Polyphemus in Southeast Georgia written by Virginia K. Perdue and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Landscape Genetics and Conservation Genetics of Gopher Tortoises Gopherus Polyphemus Across an Extensive Military Landscape written by Jeffrey Alan Jackson and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Identifying and maintaining genetic diversity in threatened and endangered species is something conservationists have recognized is of great importance. Genetic studies of federally threatened gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations located on Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center (Camp Shelby) in Hattiesburg, MS, is lacking in baseline information concerning genetic diversity and population structuring across the landscape. The objectives of this study were to assess the genetic variation of tortoises and how genetic variation is partitioned across Camp Shelby. Utilizing microsatellite DNA markers, genetic diversity was assessed and found to be low (H e = 0.25, H o = 0.22, avg. # alleles per locus = 1.97). When comparing the study population to populations in the eastern portions of the tortoise's range, alleles/locus (Georgia = 3.03, Florida = 3.40) and observed heterozygosity (Georgia = 0.42, Florida = 0.43) were significantly lower (P

Download or read book Biology and Conservation of North American Tortoises written by David C. Rostal and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most comprehensive book ever published on North America's native tortoises. Tortoises, those unmistakable turtles, evolved from a lineage that split off from the familiar pond turtles roughly 100 million years ago. Over time, these plant-eating land turtles spread around the world, growing to an enormous size (depending on the species) and living so long that they have become the stuff of legends. By most accounts, they are indeed the longest-lived of the turtles, with good records suggesting individuals may live as long as 180 years (anecdotal records suggest that some reach ages of 200 years or more). Providing the first comprehensive treatment of North America’s tortoises, Biology and Conservation of North American Tortoises brings together leading experts to give an overview of tortoise morphology, taxonomy, systematics, paleontology, physiology, ecology, behavior, reproduction, diet, growth, health, and conservation. The contributors carefully combine their own expertise and observations with results from studies conducted by hundreds of other researchers. The result is a book that belongs in the library of every herpetologist. Contributors Gustavo Aguirre L. Linda J. Allison Matthew J. Aresco Roy C. Averill-Murray Joan E. Berish Kristin H. Berry Dennis M. Bramble K. Kristina Drake Taylor Edwards Todd C. Esque Richard Franz Craig Guyer J. Scott Harrison Sharon M. Hermann J. Howard Hutchison Elliott R. Jacobson Valerie M. Johnson Richard T. Kazmaier Earl D. McCoy Philip A. Medica Robert W. Murphy Henry R. Mushinsky Kenneth E. Nussear Michael P. O’Connor Thomas A. Radzio David C. Rostal Lora L. Smith James R. Spotila Craig B. Stanford C. Richard Tracy Tracey D. Tuberville Michael Tuma Thane Wibbels

Download or read book Effects of Habitat Quality on Reproduction in Two Georgia Populations of Gopherus Polyphemus written by Jacqueline Entz and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author's Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in maternal investment by examining variation in the habitat structure and reproductive parameters for two populations of Gopherus polyphemus in Southeast GA. Both habitat structure and reproductive parameters for these populations are known from a previous study, thus this study expands upon the previous one and addresses four main questions. (1) Has habitat quality changed in the past ten years within and between population sites? (2) Could a change of habitat have affected female morphology or female reproductive parameters within or between populations? (3) Is female body size shaping egg size and/or clutch size for either population? (4) Are females providing equal resources to hatchlings and is hatchling growth potentially being modified by habitat quality affecting adult size and age to sexual maturity? Tortoises were captured by bucket trapping and hand trapping. Radio-graphs were used to obtain information about female body size, clutch size and egg size. In order to assess the effect of habitat quality on tortoises, hatchlings from both locations were reared under controlled, laboratory conditions. The hatchlings were measured bi-weekly to determine differences in growth. Results indicate that habitat quality for these two populations has not changed in the past fourteen years, indicating that this habitat is slow to change. In response to limited change in habitat quality, female body size and reproductive parameters have not changed. Female tortoises from one population produced significantly larger clutch sizes than the other, even when female body size was accounted for; this trend has been observed in many other Testudine species. When hatchling sizes were compared to other populations of G. polyphemus, the hatchling SCL seems consistent while the hatchling mass is variable. Thus, we believe that in Gopherus polyphemus female body size plays a small role in clutch size determination and no role on egg size determination. It is believed that G. polyphemus is minimizing hatchling size (SCL) in order to maximize clutch size and those females with access to more resources can supply more yolk to developing embryos. When hatchlings from both populations were provided with equal resources they grew at similar rates, indicating that the poorer quality habitat at GLS leads to a slower growth rate. Therefore, habitat quality is playing a major role in tortoise growth rates and reproduction. Based on these results, conservation efforts are needed to maintain healthy tortoise populations need to address habitat quality in development of management plans.

Download or read book Demography and Reproductive Biology of the Gopher Tortoise Gopherus Polyphemus Population at White Oak Plantation Nassau County Florida written by Julia Rachel Smith and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Population Genetics and Microbial Communities of the Gopher Tortoise Gopherus Polyphemus written by Daniel Lyle Gaillard and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: