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Ecological and Physiological Effects of Proximity to Roads in Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina)

Weigand, Nicole Marcel
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2294-7321
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1534258446656083

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Biological Sciences (Arts and Sciences).
Roads are ubiquitous in the United States, and their ecological effects are conspicuous. Turtles are among the vertebrate taxa most affected by roads because of their low vagility and use of road and road-side habitats. In 2013, Wayne National Forest in southeastern Ohio was bisected by a new highway, affecting a road-naive population of eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina), a species of concern in Ohio and vulnerable throughout its range. The goal of this study was to evaluate ecological, physiological, and behavioral effects of proximity to this new road in this road-naive population of turtles. We used a control-impact study to evaluate potential ecological and physiological effects of proximity to roads, employing radio-telemetry to assess space use, movement behavior, and habitat selection. We used novel bioassay techniques to analyze indicators of chronic stress (across the prior several months) using corticosterone stored in nail keratin. Overall, we found no significant differences in home range sizes, habitat preferences, or corticosterone concentrations between road-side and control sites. While our work suggests that proximity to roads has limited indirect influence on the ecology and chronic stress responses of eastern box turtles, and that road-naive turtles demonstrated avoidance of a high-traffic highway, the road network likely continues to contribute to population declines through direct mortality, and further inquiry is needed to assess road effects, particularly in the areas of stress endocrinology and impacts on demography.
Viorel Popescu (Advisor)
99 p.
Animal Sciences; Animals; Biology; Conservation; Ecology; Endocrinology; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management
turtle; eastern box turtle; road; ecology; reptile; home range; radio-telemetry; habitat selection; conditional logistic regression; corticosterone; chronic stress; stress; keratin; bioassay; control-impact; endocrinology; movement; space use; management

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Weigand, N. M. (2018). Ecological and Physiological Effects of Proximity to Roads in Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1534258446656083

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Weigand, Nicole. Ecological and Physiological Effects of Proximity to Roads in Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina). 2018. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1534258446656083.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Weigand, Nicole. "Ecological and Physiological Effects of Proximity to Roads in Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina)." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1534258446656083

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1534258446656083
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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.