Declines of the Gopher Tortoise on Protected Lands
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-2006
Keywords
Florida, Gopher tortoise, Management, Population decline, Protected lands
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2005.09.021
Abstract
We compared two assessments of the status of gopher tortoise populations at 10 protected sites in Florida, taken about a decade apart. We assessed status indirectly, using surveys of burrows along belt transects. Transect placement and timing were identical between surveys. We compared numbers of burrows, relative numbers of burrows of different activity conditions, and size distributions of burrows between surveys. The comparisons indicated that populations had declined at as many as eight of the sites. We found no strong connection between population decline and decline in habitat quality, as reflected in decreased ground cover and/or increased canopy cover between surveys. The response of a population to decline in habitat quality may depend on initial habitat structure, the degree of change in habitat structure, the period of time over which change is measured, the amount of habitat involved, and the level of habitat management.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Biological Conservation, v. 128, issue 1, p. 120-127
Scholar Commons Citation
McCoy, Earl D.; Mushinsky, Henry R.; and Lindzey, Jonathon, "Declines of the Gopher Tortoise on Protected Lands" (2006). Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications. 141.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/bin_facpub/141
