Little is known about the movements and behavior of neonate eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina). We investigated spatial ecology of neonate eastern box turtles at 4 upland openings in the Manistee National Forest, Michigan, USA, 2012–2016. We protected nests and used radio‐telemetry to document dispersal from nests, land cover types used for overwintering, and residency time of neonates in natal openings. We used binomial logistic regression to model probabilities of overwintering in natal openings versus adjacent forest and edge. We protected 64 nests, radio‐fitted 64 neonates over 4 cohort years, tracked 46 neonates from nest emergence to their overwintering sites, and tracked 28 neonates for portions of their second activity season. Dispersal (straight‐line distance from nest to overwintering site) was limited in the first activity season (n = 46 neonates, truex¯ = 19.9 ± 2.4 m [SE], range = 1.9–83.2 m) and 24 overwintered in natal openings, 4 overwintered in the forest edge, and 18 overwintered in forest. Our best logistic model included the predictor variables distance from nest to nearest forest edge and day of nest emergence. Probability of overwintering within a natal opening was greater for neonates from nests located farther from the forest edge and for neonates emerging from nests later in the year. By 1 June of their second activity season, all tracked turtles were still present in, or within 50 m, of their natal opening, but all neonates had dispersed into surrounding forest or wetlands by 1 July. Managers should be aware that neonates reside in or very near their natal openings for several months after nest emergence. When burning or otherwise intensively managing open canopy box turtle nesting areas, relaxing the interval (yr) between treatments and excluding forest edge and adjacent forest should allow neonates time to disperse, decreasing risk of mortality. © 2018 The Wildlife Society.

The morphological characteristics that impact feeding ecology in ectotherms, particularly reptiles, are poorly understood. We used morphometric measures and stable isotope analysis (carbon-13 and nitrogen-15) to assess the link between diet and functional morphology in an island population of an evolutionarily unique reptile, the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus). First, we established a significant positive correlation between overall body size, gape size, and fat store in tuatara (n=56). Next, we describe the relationship between stable isotope profiles created from whole blood and nail trim samples and demonstrate that nail trims offer a low-impact method of creating a long-term dietary profile in ectotherms. We used nitrogen-15 values to assess trophic level in the population and found that tuatara on Takapourewa forage across multiple trophic levels. Finally, we found a significant relationship between gape size and carbon-13 (linear regression: P<0.001), with tuatara with large gapes showing dietary profiles that suggest a higher intake of marine (seabird) prey. However, whether body size or gape size is the primary adaptive characteristic allowing for more optimal foraging is yet unknown. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

The use of biotelemetry in amphibian behaviour, migration, dispersal and homing research has increased with the miniaturisation and improved reliability of telemetry equipment. Here we synthesise biotelemetry methods and outcomes from the past two decades of published studies (n = 128; 1 January 2000–31 December 2020). We discuss trends in amphibian study duration, transmitter weight and transmitter attachment methods. The most commonly used harness designs for external transmitter attachment and surgical methods for internal implantation are described, and the benefits and potential problems of these methods are discussed. We recommend improved practices for future studies and address gaps within the current amphibian telemetry literature in regard to accurately reporting study endpoints and study subject survival. Finally, we highlight emerging technologies that could influence the next 20 years of telemetry research on amphibians.

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Plants link above- and belowground subsystems, and our results suggest that their phylogenetic relationships leave a “fingerprint” on belowground communities. We found that after correcting for evolutionary history, tree species identity influenced belowground arthropod communities through plant functional traits. These data suggest that plant species structure may be an important predictor in shaping associated soil arthropod communities and further suggest the importance of better understanding the extended consequences of evolutionary history on ecological processes, as similarity in traits may not always reflect similar ecology.