Nest Guarding in the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)

Grosse, Andrew M.; Buhlmann, Kurt A.; Harris, Bess B.; DeGregorio, Brett A.; Moule, Brett M.; Horan, Robert; Tuberville, Tracey D.

doi:10.2744/ccb-0895.1

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The understory is a diverse mixture of graminoids, forbs, and shrubs such as wiregrass (Aristada stricta), gallberry (Ilex glabra), and saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). Beyond military missions, the land is managed for a variety of plant and animal species, including the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis); regular timber harvesting and year-round prescribed burning on a 3-5 year interval is used to maintain the desired canopy composition and density, as well as to reduce fuels loads [53][54][55]. Our study site at Fort Stewart consisted of two adjacent burn units, F6.3 (261 ha) and F6.4 (397 ha), which were represented by longleaf pine flatwoods and intermixed cypress wetlands (Taxodium spp.).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial Laser Scan Metrics Predict Surface Vegetation Biomass and Consumption in a Frequently Burned Southeastern U.S. Ecosystem

Loudermilk

Pokswinski

Hawley

et al. 2023

Fire

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Fire-prone landscapes found throughout the world are increasingly managed with prescribed fire for a variety of objectives. These frequent low-intensity fires directly impact lower forest strata, and thus estimating surface fuels or understory vegetation is essential for planning, evaluating, and monitoring management strategies and studying fire behavior and effects. Traditional fuel estimation methods can be applied to stand-level and canopy fuel loading; however, local-scale understory biomass remains challenging because of complex within-stand heterogeneity and fast recovery post-fire. Previous studies have demonstrated how single location terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) can be used to estimate plot-level vegetation characteristics and the impacts of prescribed fire. To build upon this methodology, co-located single TLS scans and physical biomass measurements were used to generate linear models for predicting understory vegetation and fuel biomass, as well as consumption by fire in a southeastern U.S. pineland. A variable selection method was used to select the six most important TLS-derived structural metrics for each linear model, where the model fit ranged in R2 from 0.61 to 0.74. This study highlights prospects for efficiently estimating vegetation and fuel characteristics that are relevant to prescribed burning via the integration of a single-scan TLS method that is adaptable by managers and relevant for coupled fire–atmosphere models.

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Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial Laser Scan Metrics Predict Surface Vegetation Biomass and Consumption in a Frequently Burned Southeastern U.S. Ecosystem

Loudermilk

Pokswinski

Hawley

et al. 2023

Fire

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“…Sexual differences in growth and body size are well documented in turtles (Agha et al 2018, Gibbons and Lovich 1990, Halámková et al 2013). Many of these species are long-lived and display delayed sexual maturity (Avens et al 2015, Congdon et al 1993, Rostal and Jones 2002). Dobie (1971) reported age to sexual maturity to be 11–13 years for Macrochelys temminckii (Troost in Harlan) (Alligator Snapping Turtle) in Louisiana.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining Sexual Size Dimorphism in an Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) Population in Southwest Georgia: Use of Morphometrics, Ultrasonography, and Testosterone

Rostal

Teare

Marley

et al. 2023

Southeastern Naturalist

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We studied the determination of sex for intermediate size classes and adult sexual dimorphism in a Georgia population of Macrochelys temminckii (Alligator Snapping Turtle). We sexed turtles when possible based on size and morphometrics. We took blood samples from captured individuals and measured plasma testosterone using enzyme-linked immunoassay. We examined females and individuals for which sex was unknown using ultrasound to determine sex and reproductive status. We used testosterone concentration to confirm individual sex assignments. For all biometric measurements, adult males were larger than females. Testosterone concentrations were higher in adult and subadult males than in females. Head width did not differ between the sexes when adjusted for body size. Plastron-to-vent length (cm) and testosterone concentrations were significantly greater in adult and subadult male turtles compared to females and were valuable in determining sex of smaller adults >25 cm straight-midline carapace length.

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Reptiles, Biodiversity of ☆

Pough¹

2017

Reference Module in Life Sciences

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Nest Guarding in the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)

Cited by 7 publications

References 3 publications

Terrestrial Laser Scan Metrics Predict Surface Vegetation Biomass and Consumption in a Frequently Burned Southeastern U.S. Ecosystem

Terrestrial Laser Scan Metrics Predict Surface Vegetation Biomass and Consumption in a Frequently Burned Southeastern U.S. Ecosystem

Determining Sexual Size Dimorphism in an Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) Population in Southwest Georgia: Use of Morphometrics, Ultrasonography, and Testosterone

Reptiles, Biodiversity of ☆

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