Jessica Lindberg
The Behavioral Ecology and Physiology of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) in a Fragmented and Polluted Landscape
Date: Friday, August 23, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM CST
Location: Quinlan Life Science Building, Room 046
Zoom: https://luc.zoom.us/j/86537514994?pwd=yCrJD7o04uogiX9AwMCDUSXGfsHMPU.1
Abstract
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF SPOTTED TURTLES (CLEMMYS GUTTATA) IN A FRAGMENTED AND POLLUTED LANDSCAPE
Turtles are one of the most threatened groups of animals across the globe. This is especially true for freshwater turtles that rely on multiple habitats to fulfill their life history requirements. Wetlands are a crucial habitat type for many freshwater turtle species, and this ecosystem has been susceptible to conversion, fragmentation, and pollution. In turn, these hazards to wetland habitats threaten already declining freshwater turtle populations. The spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) is a species of freshwater turtle that is particularly at-risk due to life history traits as well as habitat fragmentation and pollution. This study aims to investigate the effects of these ecological threats by focusing on two populations of spotted turtles in northwestern Indiana. In this region, spotted turtle populations are disjunct and isolated due to wetland loss and degradation. The behavioral and physiological responses to habitat loss and ecological contamination have yet to be studied in spotted turtles. This thesis aims to fill this knowledge gap through two studies. The first chapter of this thesis examines spotted turtle behavioral ecology by quantifying home range and seasonal movement, as well as describing overwintering behavior through thermal ecology. Home range sizes were within range but on the lower end of other spotted turtle spatial ecology studies, and seasonal movement patterns were significantly higher in the spring than summer or fall. Thermal profiles suggest that spotted turtles in this study hibernate just below the surface of shallow pools, which is not necessarily the same across their range. The second chapter uses conservation physiology to assess whether spotted turtle health varies with heavy metal concentration (HMC), site, and/or months of the active season. Our results show that spotted turtle health does not vary significantly with HMCs for most physiological variables; however, many vary between sites and across months. These results suggest that despite spotted turtles carrying significant heavy metal burdens, their physiology responds to seasonal changes like other healthy turtle populations. Overall, these two spotted turtle populations in northwestern Indiana are not significantly hindered by their fragmented and polluted landscape. Future studies should use these findings as a baseline as they continue to explore the behavior and physiology of spotted turtles in fractured habitats. These efforts are critical to informing conservation initiatives that eventually become management plans that will protect this endangered species.
The Behavioral Ecology and Physiology of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) in a Fragmented and Polluted Landscape
Date: Friday, August 23, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM CST
Location: Quinlan Life Science Building, Room 046
Zoom: https://luc.zoom.us/j/86537514994?pwd=yCrJD7o04uogiX9AwMCDUSXGfsHMPU.1
Abstract
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF SPOTTED TURTLES (CLEMMYS GUTTATA) IN A FRAGMENTED AND POLLUTED LANDSCAPE
Turtles are one of the most threatened groups of animals across the globe. This is especially true for freshwater turtles that rely on multiple habitats to fulfill their life history requirements. Wetlands are a crucial habitat type for many freshwater turtle species, and this ecosystem has been susceptible to conversion, fragmentation, and pollution. In turn, these hazards to wetland habitats threaten already declining freshwater turtle populations. The spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) is a species of freshwater turtle that is particularly at-risk due to life history traits as well as habitat fragmentation and pollution. This study aims to investigate the effects of these ecological threats by focusing on two populations of spotted turtles in northwestern Indiana. In this region, spotted turtle populations are disjunct and isolated due to wetland loss and degradation. The behavioral and physiological responses to habitat loss and ecological contamination have yet to be studied in spotted turtles. This thesis aims to fill this knowledge gap through two studies. The first chapter of this thesis examines spotted turtle behavioral ecology by quantifying home range and seasonal movement, as well as describing overwintering behavior through thermal ecology. Home range sizes were within range but on the lower end of other spotted turtle spatial ecology studies, and seasonal movement patterns were significantly higher in the spring than summer or fall. Thermal profiles suggest that spotted turtles in this study hibernate just below the surface of shallow pools, which is not necessarily the same across their range. The second chapter uses conservation physiology to assess whether spotted turtle health varies with heavy metal concentration (HMC), site, and/or months of the active season. Our results show that spotted turtle health does not vary significantly with HMCs for most physiological variables; however, many vary between sites and across months. These results suggest that despite spotted turtles carrying significant heavy metal burdens, their physiology responds to seasonal changes like other healthy turtle populations. Overall, these two spotted turtle populations in northwestern Indiana are not significantly hindered by their fragmented and polluted landscape. Future studies should use these findings as a baseline as they continue to explore the behavior and physiology of spotted turtles in fractured habitats. These efforts are critical to informing conservation initiatives that eventually become management plans that will protect this endangered species.