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Bennett, A. M., & Litzgus, J. D. , Injury rates of freshwater turtles on a recreational waterway in ontario, canada - abstract. Unpublished paper presented at Program and Abstracts of the Tenth Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles. 
Added by: Admin (06 Jan 2014 18:22:38 UTC)
Resource type: Conference Paper
BibTeX citation key: Bennett2012
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Categories: General
Keywords: Chelydra serpentina, Chelydridae, Emydidae, Emydoidea blandingii, Graptemys geographica, Habitat - habitat, Kinosternidae, Nordamerika - North America, Schildkröten - turtles + tortoises, Sternotherus odoratus
Creators: Bennett, Litzgus
Collection: Program and Abstracts of the Tenth Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles
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Abstract     
Highly aquatic freshwater turtle species are thought to be at reduced risk of terrestrial mortality from vehicular collisions on roads; however, injuries and mortality from boat propeller strikes may present considerable threats to aquatic species. We report injury rates from captures of two turtle species at risk, Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica) and Stinkpots (Sternotherus odoratus) along the Trent-Severn Waterway in Ontario, Canada. We examined whether habitat fragmentation due to locks and dams would result in higher rates of boat propeller and predation injuries because of the higher human impact in fragmented areas. We predicted that female Map Turtles would have higher injury rates than males, and that Map Turtles in general would have more injuries than Stinkpots. Fragmented areas of the waterway had lower injury rates than continuous areas, likely due to higher and faster boat traffic in continuous reaches. A significantly higher proportion of female Map Turtles had injuries consistent with boat propeller strikes than male turtles, presumably as a result of differences in habitat use between the sexes. Similarly, Map Turtles had higher rates of propeller injury scars than Stinkpots, although actual rates of boat encounters may be confounded by the lowered probability of a smaller turtle (Stinkpot, male Map Turtle) surviving a propeller strike and the low likelihood of encountering turtle carcasses. All species encountered on the waterway, including incidental captures of Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) and Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina), showed some evidence of boat propeller strikes, suggesting conservation strategies for aquatic turtle populations should consider restricting access and/or speed limits in areas of high turtle densities.
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