Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Saumure, R. A., Herman, T. B., & Titman, R. D. (2010). Effects of patch size and habitat structure on the movements of adult male wood turtles, glyptemys insculpta. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 5(3), 403–413.
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich (27 Mar 2011 16:16:47 UTC) |
| Resource type: Journal Article BibTeX citation key: Saumure2010 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Emydidae, Glyptemys, Glyptemys insculpta, Habitat = habitat, Nordamerika = North America, Schildkröten = turtles + tortoises, Verhalten = ethology Creators: Herman, Saumure, Titman Collection: Herpetological Conservation and Biology |
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| Abstract |
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Populations of the North American Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) are often encountered in agricultural landscapes. We used thread-trailing techniques to record the movements of six adult male G. insculpta translocated to an experimental hayfield patch-matrix. We investigated the effects of patch size and habitat structure on path sinuosity, turning angles, and move length. Paths confirm the occurrence of three movement phases previously described in other animals: agitation dispersal, local search, and ranging. Within-patch movements revealed a left-turning bias that was not the result of a serial autocorrelation of turning angles. We propose that the arced paths observed are a result of handedness and/or diagonal sequence gait. As patch size had no effect on path sinuosity or move length, our results demonstrate the consistency of path characteristics within hayfield patches up to 30 m in diameter. Local search was characterized by a unidirectional series of zigzag moves. Habitat structure affected path sinuosity and move length. Generally, paths were straighter and move lengths longer in the harvested area. These results are consistent with the findings of studies on small mammals and insects moving through exposed or resource-poor areas. Boundary permeability was absolute, with all subjects crossing patch perimeters without any hesitation in movement. Translocated G. insculpta exhibit predetermined search phenotypes, and move to maximize the likelihood of locating resources, while minimizing the probability of revisiting previously searched areas.
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich |