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Rod N Williams - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Short-Term Forest Management Effects on a Long-Lived
2016Co-Authors: Purdue E-pubs, Rod N Williams, Andrea F. Currylow, Brian J. MacgowanAbstract:Timber harvesting has been shown to have both positive and negative effects on forest dwelling species. We examined the immediate effects of timber harvests (clearcuts and group selection openings) on ectotherm behavior, using the Eastern Box Turtle as a model. We monitored the movement and thermal ecology of 50 adult Box Turtles using radiotelemetry from May–October for two years prior to, and two years following scheduled timber harvests in the Central Hardwoods Region of the U.S. Annual home ranges (7.45 ha, 100 % MCP) did not differ in any year or in response to timber harvests, but were 33% larger than previous estimates (range 0.47–187.67 ha). Distance of daily movements decreased post-harvest (from 22 m61.2 m to 15 m60.9 m) whereas thermal optima increased (from 2361uC to 2561uC). Microclimatic conditions varied by habitat type, but monthly average temperatures were warmer in harvested areas by as much as 13uC. Animals that used harvest openings were exposed to extreme monthly average temperatures (,40uC). As a result, the animals made shorter and more frequent movements in and out of the harvest areas while maintaining 9 % higher body temperatures. This experimental design coupled with radiotelemetry and behavioral observation of a wild ectotherm population prior to and i
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unexpectedly low rangewide population genetic structure of the imperiled Eastern Box Turtle terrapene c carolina
PLOS ONE, 2014Co-Authors: Steven J A Kimble, Olin E Rhodes, Rod N WilliamsAbstract:Rangewide studies of genetic parameters can elucidate patterns and processes that operate only over large geographic scales. Herein, we present a rangewide population genetic assessment of the Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina, a species that is in steep decline across its range. To inform conservation planning for this species, we address the hypothesis that disruptions to demographic and movement parameters associated with the decline of the Eastern Box Turtle has resulted in distinctive genetic signatures in the form of low genetic diversity, high population structuring, and decreased gene flow. We used microsatellite genotype data from (n = 799) individuals from across the species range to perform two Bayesian population assignment approaches, two methods for comparing historical and contemporary migration among populations, an evaluation of isolation by distance, and a method for detecting barriers to gene flow. Both Bayesian methods of population assignment indicated that there are two populations rangewide, both of which have maintained high levels of genetic diversity (HO = 0.756). Evidence of isolation by distance was detected in this species at a spatial scale of 300 – 500 km, and the Appalachian Mountains were identified as the primary barrier to gene flow across the species range. We also found evidence for historical but not contemporary migration between populations. Our prediction of many, highly structured populations across the range was not supported. This may point to cryptic contemporary gene flow, which might in turn be explained by the presence of rare transients in populations. However these data may be influenced by historical signatures of genetic connectivity because individuals of this species can be long-lived.
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relatedness and other finescale population genetic analyses in the threatened Eastern Box Turtle terrapene c carolina suggest unexpectedly high vagility with important conservation implications
Conservation Genetics, 2014Co-Authors: Steven J A Kimble, Olin E Rhodes, Rod N WilliamsAbstract:Genetic analyses of populations are essential to the conservation of threatened and cryptic taxa such as Chelonians. Turtles and tortoises are among the most imperiled vertebrate taxa worldwide, yet many of the natural history traits remain unknown leaving management decisions ill- or improperly informed. The Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina is no exception, with many gaps in our knowledge about traits such as juvenile dispersal and patterns of relatedness across the landscape, especially as it is a species not particularly tied to water and vulnerable to human disturbance. In addition, all long-term studies of this species have documented demographic population declines, even in protected habitats. In this study we explore finescale population structuring, gene flow, dispersal, and relatedness at four sites across the species range. These sites vary in habitat fragmentation and surrounding habitat quality. Many radiotelemtery and mark-recapture studies suggest that Terrapene spp. have a sedentary natural history, with small and temporally conserved home ranges and little propensity for dispersal. Based on these data we predicted that populations would be highly structured at fine geographic scales, closely related individuals (1st- and 2nd-degree relatives) would coexist in close proximity, and individuals exhibiting transient behavior would be true transients. All sites had low levels of population structuring, mean pairwise relatedness values were statistically zero, over 90 % of pairs of individuals were unrelated, 4.4–8.7 % were half-siblings, and fewer than 1.0 % were full siblings or parent-offspring pairs. These patterns were consistent across all four sites, regardless of habitat fragmentation. Furthermore, while some related pairs were found within a few meters of each other, others ranged up to 33 km apart. We found that one of two individuals with transient behavior was indeed a true genetic transient. These findings suggest that Box Turtles may be much more vagile than current management practices recognize. As most Turtle species are strongly affected by anthropogenic disturbance, many may require much larger contiguous blocks of intact habitat for species persistence as the Box Turtle likely does. Management plans may therefore need to be updated to allow for safe and effective long-distance dispersal at the appropriate spatial scales in order to maintain genetic health of these species.
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Correlogram of genetic isolation by geographic distance between pairs of Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina individuals across its range.
2014Co-Authors: Steven J A Kimble, O. E. Rhodes, Rod N WilliamsAbstract:Correlogram of genetic isolation by geographic distance between pairs of Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina individuals across its range.
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Unexpectedly Low Rangewide Population Genetic Structure of the Imperiled Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina
2013Co-Authors: Steven J A Kimble, O. E. Rhodes, Rod N WilliamsAbstract:Rangewide studies of genetic parameters can elucidate patterns and processes that operate only over large geographic scales. Herein, we present a rangewide population genetic assessment of the Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina, a species that is in steep decline across its range. To inform conservation planning for this species, we address the hypothesis that disruptions to demographic and movement parameters associated with the decline of the Eastern Box Turtle has resulted in distinctive genetic signatures in the form of low genetic diversity, high population structuring, and decreased gene flow. We used microsatellite genotype data from (n = 799) individuals from across the species range to perform two Bayesian population assignment approaches, two methods for comparing historical and contemporary migration among populations, an evaluation of isolation by distance, and a method for detecting barriers to gene flow. Both Bayesian methods of population assignment indicated that there are two populations rangewide, both of which have maintained high levels of genetic diversity (HO = 0.756). Evidence of isolation by distance was detected in this species at a spatial scale of 300 – 500 km, and the Appalachian Mountains were identified as the primary barrier to gene flow across the species range. We also found evidence for historical but not contemporary migration between populations. Our prediction of many, highly structured populations across the range was not supported. This may point to cryptic contemporary gene flow, which might in turn be explained by the presence of rare transients in populations. However these data may be influenced b
Steven J A Kimble - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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unexpectedly low rangewide population genetic structure of the imperiled Eastern Box Turtle terrapene c carolina
PLOS ONE, 2014Co-Authors: Steven J A Kimble, Olin E Rhodes, Rod N WilliamsAbstract:Rangewide studies of genetic parameters can elucidate patterns and processes that operate only over large geographic scales. Herein, we present a rangewide population genetic assessment of the Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina, a species that is in steep decline across its range. To inform conservation planning for this species, we address the hypothesis that disruptions to demographic and movement parameters associated with the decline of the Eastern Box Turtle has resulted in distinctive genetic signatures in the form of low genetic diversity, high population structuring, and decreased gene flow. We used microsatellite genotype data from (n = 799) individuals from across the species range to perform two Bayesian population assignment approaches, two methods for comparing historical and contemporary migration among populations, an evaluation of isolation by distance, and a method for detecting barriers to gene flow. Both Bayesian methods of population assignment indicated that there are two populations rangewide, both of which have maintained high levels of genetic diversity (HO = 0.756). Evidence of isolation by distance was detected in this species at a spatial scale of 300 – 500 km, and the Appalachian Mountains were identified as the primary barrier to gene flow across the species range. We also found evidence for historical but not contemporary migration between populations. Our prediction of many, highly structured populations across the range was not supported. This may point to cryptic contemporary gene flow, which might in turn be explained by the presence of rare transients in populations. However these data may be influenced by historical signatures of genetic connectivity because individuals of this species can be long-lived.
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relatedness and other finescale population genetic analyses in the threatened Eastern Box Turtle terrapene c carolina suggest unexpectedly high vagility with important conservation implications
Conservation Genetics, 2014Co-Authors: Steven J A Kimble, Olin E Rhodes, Rod N WilliamsAbstract:Genetic analyses of populations are essential to the conservation of threatened and cryptic taxa such as Chelonians. Turtles and tortoises are among the most imperiled vertebrate taxa worldwide, yet many of the natural history traits remain unknown leaving management decisions ill- or improperly informed. The Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina is no exception, with many gaps in our knowledge about traits such as juvenile dispersal and patterns of relatedness across the landscape, especially as it is a species not particularly tied to water and vulnerable to human disturbance. In addition, all long-term studies of this species have documented demographic population declines, even in protected habitats. In this study we explore finescale population structuring, gene flow, dispersal, and relatedness at four sites across the species range. These sites vary in habitat fragmentation and surrounding habitat quality. Many radiotelemtery and mark-recapture studies suggest that Terrapene spp. have a sedentary natural history, with small and temporally conserved home ranges and little propensity for dispersal. Based on these data we predicted that populations would be highly structured at fine geographic scales, closely related individuals (1st- and 2nd-degree relatives) would coexist in close proximity, and individuals exhibiting transient behavior would be true transients. All sites had low levels of population structuring, mean pairwise relatedness values were statistically zero, over 90 % of pairs of individuals were unrelated, 4.4–8.7 % were half-siblings, and fewer than 1.0 % were full siblings or parent-offspring pairs. These patterns were consistent across all four sites, regardless of habitat fragmentation. Furthermore, while some related pairs were found within a few meters of each other, others ranged up to 33 km apart. We found that one of two individuals with transient behavior was indeed a true genetic transient. These findings suggest that Box Turtles may be much more vagile than current management practices recognize. As most Turtle species are strongly affected by anthropogenic disturbance, many may require much larger contiguous blocks of intact habitat for species persistence as the Box Turtle likely does. Management plans may therefore need to be updated to allow for safe and effective long-distance dispersal at the appropriate spatial scales in order to maintain genetic health of these species.
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Correlogram of genetic isolation by geographic distance between pairs of Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina individuals across its range.
2014Co-Authors: Steven J A Kimble, O. E. Rhodes, Rod N WilliamsAbstract:Correlogram of genetic isolation by geographic distance between pairs of Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina individuals across its range.
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Unexpectedly Low Rangewide Population Genetic Structure of the Imperiled Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina
2013Co-Authors: Steven J A Kimble, O. E. Rhodes, Rod N WilliamsAbstract:Rangewide studies of genetic parameters can elucidate patterns and processes that operate only over large geographic scales. Herein, we present a rangewide population genetic assessment of the Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene c. carolina, a species that is in steep decline across its range. To inform conservation planning for this species, we address the hypothesis that disruptions to demographic and movement parameters associated with the decline of the Eastern Box Turtle has resulted in distinctive genetic signatures in the form of low genetic diversity, high population structuring, and decreased gene flow. We used microsatellite genotype data from (n = 799) individuals from across the species range to perform two Bayesian population assignment approaches, two methods for comparing historical and contemporary migration among populations, an evaluation of isolation by distance, and a method for detecting barriers to gene flow. Both Bayesian methods of population assignment indicated that there are two populations rangewide, both of which have maintained high levels of genetic diversity (HO = 0.756). Evidence of isolation by distance was detected in this species at a spatial scale of 300 – 500 km, and the Appalachian Mountains were identified as the primary barrier to gene flow across the species range. We also found evidence for historical but not contemporary migration between populations. Our prediction of many, highly structured populations across the range was not supported. This may point to cryptic contemporary gene flow, which might in turn be explained by the presence of rare transients in populations. However these data may be influenced b
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Temporal variance in hematologic and plasma biochemical reference intervals for free-ranging Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina).
Journal of wildlife diseases, 2012Co-Authors: Steven J A Kimble, Rod N WilliamsAbstract:Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) populations are in decline, likely due to anthropogenic forces and disease, necessitating hematologic and biochemical data from healthy individuals for evaluation of wild populations. We repeatedly sampled 21 free-ranging Eastern Box Turtles from May to September 2009 in the spring, summer, and fall to establish temporal hematologic and biochemical reference intervals. Packed cell volume, aspartate aminotransferase, and potassium levels declined significantly as the active season progressed. High levels of albumin, globulin, and calcium coincided with the presence of eggs in females. These reference intervals should provide baseline data for the clinical evaluation of wild Box Turtles presented for veterinary care or for studies of wild populations.
Matthew C. Allender - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Plasma complement activation mechanisms differ in ornate (Terrapene ornata ornata) and Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina)
Journal of experimental zoology. Part A Ecological and integrative physiology, 2020Co-Authors: Laura Adamovicz, Sarah J Baker, Mark Merchant, Lancia N.f. Darville, Matthew C. AllenderAbstract:Eastern (Terrapene carolina carolina) and ornate (Terrapene ornata ornata) Box Turtles have robust plasma antibacterial activity, however, the mechanism behind this activity is unknown. We used sheep red blood cell (SRBC) hemolysis assays, mannan-affinity chromatography, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) to explore the mechanisms of complement activity in Box Turtles. Plasma from both species demonstrated volume, time, and temperature-dependent SRBC hemolysis, with significantly greater hemolytic activity in ornate Box Turtle plasma. Hemolytic activity was highly attenuated following treatment with heat, EDTA, and salicylaldoxime in both species, but was unchanged after treatment with methylamine and ammonium hydroxide. Two abundant mannan-binding proteins (presumed C-type lectins) were identified in Eastern Box Turtle plasma using SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF, but ornate Box Turtles did not express either protein. Eastern Box Turtles appear to rely on the lectin pathway of complement activation while ornate Box Turtles utilize the alternative pathway. This study provides further evidence that mechanisms underlying immune function are not always conserved between closely related species. This finding may have important implications for explaining species differences in susceptibility to emerging threats such as disease, toxicants, and climate change.
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Development and validation of a quantitative PCR assay for detection of Terrapene herpesvirus 2 in Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina).
Journal of virological methods, 2020Co-Authors: Aubrey I. Engel, Laura Adamovicz, James F. X. Wellehan, Matthew C. AllenderAbstract:Abstract Herpesviruses are associated with disease in many chelonian species, resulting in pathology such as respiratory tract infection, stomatitis, conjunctivitis, hepatitis, and papillomatosis. Herpesvirus-associated fibropapillomas cause significant morbidity and mortality in marine Turtles, and have been identified in an Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) infected with Terrapene herpesvirus 2 (TerHV2). Further investigation is necessary to understand the impact of carcinogenic herpesviruses on chelonian health; however, reliable and specific methods for detection and quantitation of herpesviral load are lacking. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a quantitative PCR assay for detection of TerHV2 in Box Turtles. TaqMan primer-probes were developed targeting the DNA polymerase gene. Inter- and intra-assay variability, linear range of detection, limit of detection, and specificity were assessed. The assay was highly specific for TerHV2, failing to amplify seven closely-related chelonian herpesviruses. It performed with high efficiency (slope = -3.52, R2 = 1, efficiency = 92.29 %), low intra-assay variability and low inter-assay variability (coefficient of variation ≤ 1.25 % at all standard dilutions). Reaction efficiency was not impacted in the presence of Box Turtle DNA from combined oral/cloacal swabs or whole blood. This qPCR assay has a linear range of detection from 107 to 101 viral copies per reaction and provides a valuable tool in the surveillance and characterization of TerHV2 in Box Turtles.
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Fatal ranavirus infection in a group of zoo-housed meller's chameleons (trioceros melleri)
Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine : official publication of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, 2019Co-Authors: Lauren B. Peiffer, Matthew C. Allender, Allan P. Pessier, Laura Adamovicz, Kuttichantran Subramaniam, Thomas B Waltzek, Samantha J. Sander, Kathleen L. Gabrielson, Natalie K. Stilwell, Ellen BronsonAbstract:A group of five juvenile Meller's chameleons (Trioceros melleri) experienced 100% mortality over a period of 1 mo due to ranavirus infection. The index case was found dead without premonitory signs. The three subsequent cases presented with nonspecific clinical signs (lethargy, decreased appetite, ocular discharge) and were ultimately euthanatized. The final case died after initially presenting with skin lesions. Postmortem examination revealed thin body condition in all five animals and mild coelomic effusion and petechiae affecting the tongue and kidneys of one animal. Microscopically, all animals had multifocal necrosis of the spleen, liver, and kidney; four of five animals had necrosis of the nasal cavity; and two of five had necrosis of adrenal tissue, bone marrow, and skin. Numerous basophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions were present in the liver of all animals and nasal mucosa of three of the five animals. Consensus polymerase chain reaction for herpesvirus and adenovirus were negative, whereas ranavirus quantitative polymerase chain reaction was positive. Virus isolation followed by whole genome sequencing and Bayesian phylogenetic analysis classified the isolates as a strain of frog virus 3 (FV3) most closely related to an FV3 isolate responsible for a previous outbreak in the zoo's Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) group. This case series documents the first known occurrence of ranavirus-associated disease in chameleons and demonstrates the potential for interspecies transmission between chelonian and squamate reptiles.
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Modeling Hematologic and Biochemical Parameters with Spatiotemporal Analysis for the Free-Ranging Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) in Illinois and Tennessee, a Potential Biosentinel
EcoHealth, 2016Co-Authors: Terrell C. Lloyd, Matthew C. Allender, John Byrd, Christopher A. Phillips, Grace Archer, A. Russell MooreAbstract:Box Turtles are long-lived, inhabit both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, and have relatively small home ranges making them a suitable candidate as a sentinel. To characterize their changes in response to environmental health, assessment of observed variation of this species is required. Thus, a comparative health assessment was employed in 825 Eastern Box Turtles in east central Illinois and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to establish a baseline health assessment with regard to sex, age class, season, and location, identify temporal trends, and map parameters. Hematological and plasma biochemical variables measured included packed cell volume, total solids, white blood cell and differential counts, calcium, phosphorus, aspartate aminotransferase, bile acids, creatine kinase, and uric acid. These variables were reduced to four principle components that explained 68.8 % of the cumulative variance. The top model included the main effects of year, location, and sex, but no interactions. Spatial analysis of Turtles in Tennessee demonstrated increased WBC and decreased PCV in 2011 associated with a clear-cut silviculture site. The results of this health assessment can serve as a baseline of population health in future studies and aid in the utility of this species as a sentinel.
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Select metal and metalloid surveillance of free-ranging Eastern Box Turtles from Illinois and Tennessee (Terrapene carolina carolina)
Ecotoxicology (London England), 2015Co-Authors: Matthew C. Allender, John Byrd, Michael J. Dreslik, Bishap Patel, Elizabeth L. Luber, Christopher A. Phillips, John W. ScottAbstract:The Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is a primarily terrestrial chelonian distributed across the Eastern US. It has been proposed as a biomonitor due to its longevity, small home range, and reliance on the environment to meet its metabolic needs. Plasma samples from 273 free-ranging Box Turtles from populations in Tennessee and Illinois in 2011 and 2012 were evaluated for presence of heavy metals and to characterize hematologic variables. Lead (Pb), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), selenium (Se), and copper (Cu) were detected, while cadmium (Cd) and silver (Ag) were not. There were no differences in any metal detected among age class or sex. However, Cr and Pb were higher in Turtles from Tennessee, while As, Zn, Se, and Cu were higher in Turtles from Illinois. Seasonal differences in metal concentrations were observed for Cr, Zn, and As. Health of Turtles was assessed using hematologic variables. Packed cell volume was positively correlated with Cu, Se, and Pb in Tennessee. Total solids, a measure of plasma proteins, in Tennessee Turtles were positively correlated with Cu and Zn. White blood cell count, a measure of inflammation, in Tennessee Turtles was negatively correlated with Cu and As, and positively correlated with Pb. Metals are a threat to human health and the health of an ecosystem, and the Eastern Box Turtle can serve as a monitor of these contaminants. Differences established in this study can serve as baseline for future studies of these or related populations.
Russell L Burke - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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consumption patterns of a generalist omnivore Eastern Box Turtle diets in the long island pine barrens
Diversity, 2021Co-Authors: Miranda P Figueras, Timothy Green, Russell L BurkeAbstract:Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina) are diet generalists and as such are predicted to have diverse diets in which familiar, low-quality foods are eaten consistently at low levels, and high-quality foods are rare but eaten whenever available. Previous work showed that they feed opportunistically on seasonally available plants (shoots, leaves, flowers, and fruit), invertebrates, mushrooms, and occasionally carrion. We used fecal samples to test optimal foraging predictions relevant to diet generalists and also whether the Eastern Box Turtle diets varied seasonally in a northEastern U.S. pine-oak habitat. We found that in-depth prey species consumption patterns of six different individuals were similar to those of the sampled population overall. Leaf and stem material was consumed by 100% of the Turtles in all months despite being lower-quality than other prey available. Invertebrates were consumed by at least 80% of Turtles in every study period; Coleopterans were found more commonly than other invertebrates. Snails were not eaten by more than 20% of the Turtles in any study period, and mushroom consumption varied from 31–75% of samples in different study periods. Monthly diet overlap was measured using both Pianka’s Index of Overlap (PIO) and the Morisita–Horn Index (MH). The PIO method indicated that the prey consumption patterns were broadly similar from June–October, while the M–H method showed that only the July vs. August comparison was highly similar. The Turtle diets changed only slightly between seasons, and they conform to predictions of diet generalist models usually applied to mammals.
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a surfeit of studies what have we learned from all the Box Turtle terrapene carolina and t ornata home range studies
Diversity, 2019Co-Authors: Christopher W Habeck, Miranda P Figueras, Russell L BurkeAbstract:Home range (HR) studies are a particularly common approach to investigations of animal habitat use, resource availability, and response to management manipulation such as relocations. Terrapene carolina (Eastern Box Turtle) and its sister taxon T. ornata (Ornate Box Turtle) are especially popular subjects of HR studies because they are relatively easily tracked. Terrapene HR studies have revealed a wide variation in HR sizes within and between populations, due to factors such as differences in ecoregion and analytical approach (e.g., minimum convex polygons, kernel analysis, bivariate normal, multivariate Ornstein–Uhlenbeck stochastic process, harmonic means). We performed a meta-analysis of the available literature, including unpublished work to avoid bias due to under-publication, to explore the causes for variation in HR size. We found 19 studies reporting T. carolina HR sizes and seven studies reporting T. ornata HR sizes; the resulting meta-analysis revealed patterns that are not visible in the individual studies. We found important differences between the species: female T. ornata had smaller HRs than males, whereas the opposite is true for T. carolina, and T. ornata HRs were influenced by ecoregion, while T. carolina HRs were not similarly influenced. Not surprisingly, we found that choice of analysis technique affected HR estimate; analyses using ellipses resulted in larger HR estimates than all the other techniques, while kernels were smaller than minimum convex polygons. Although not indicated by individual studies, our meta-analysis showed that the HRs of relocated T. carolina females were significantly larger than those of non-relocated females. Although the number of individual Turtles in studies varied from three to 25, the sample size did not significantly affect HR size.
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internal body temperatures of an overwintering adult terrapene carolina Eastern Box Turtle
Northeastern Naturalist, 2016Co-Authors: Russell L Burke, Miranda P Figueras, Paul P Calle, Timothy GreenAbstract:Abstract Terrapene carolina (Eastern Box Turtle) is the only Turtle species in which adults are known to be tolerant of freezing. We report the first systematically collected data on internal body temperatures of an overwintering Eastern Box Turtle. Despite nearby air temperatures as low as -21.8 °C, this Turtle probably supercooled rather than froze. Snow cover, thermal inertia, and the insulating effects of its refugium's substrate may have protected this Turtle from the very cold conditions.
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Eastern Box Turtle terrapene carolina neonate overwintering ecology on long island new york
Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 2011Co-Authors: Russell L Burke, William CapitanoAbstract:Abstract We studied 11 nests, and the resulting neonates of Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina) in New York in 2001 and 2002, and documented neonate emergence and movements. None overwintered in the nest; instead, they emerged in the fall and overwintered buried shallowly close to the nest, where they were exposed to temperatures as low as −7°C. Further research is needed regarding neonate T. carolina behavior and the relative advantages of overwintering in the nest and overwintering terrestrially outside the nest.
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Nesting Ecology and Hatching Success of the Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene Carolina, on Long Island, New York
The American Midland Naturalist, 2011Co-Authors: Russell L Burke, William CapitanoAbstract:Abstract While many aspects of the reproductive ecology of Eastern Box Turtles are well known, numerous gaps remain regarding inter-populational variation in clutch size, egg viability and clutch frequency, all vital components of population models. We collected data on nesting ecology of a dense Long Island population of Eastern Box Turtles for three years. Average clutch size was only 4.1 eggs/clutch, which is surprisingly low compared to a nearby population. Conversely, egg viability at this site was site was surprisingly high (95%). It also appears that Eastern Box Turtles lay only one clutch/year, in the later half of June, in southEastern New York.
János Gál - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Adenovirus and mycoplasma infection in an ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata ornata) in Hungary.
Veterinary microbiology, 2009Co-Authors: Szilvia L. Farkas, János GálAbstract:A female, adult ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata ornata) with fatty liver was submitted for virologic examination in Hungary. Signs of an adenovirus infection including degeneration of the liver cells, enlarged nuclei and intranuclear inclusion bodies were detected by light microscopic examination. The presence of an adenovirus was later confirmed by obtaining partial sequence data from the adenoviral DNA-dependent DNA-polymerase. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that this novel chelonian adenovirus was distinct from previously described reptilian adenoviruses, not belonging to any of the recognized genera of the family Adenoviridae. As a part of the routine diagnostic procedure for chelonians the detection of herpes-, rana- and iridoviruses together with Mycoplasma spp. was attempted. Amplicons were generated by a general mycoplasma polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 16S/23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) intergenic spacer region, as well as, a specific Mycoplasma agassizii PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene. Based on the analyses of partial sequences of the 16S rRNA gene, the Mycoplasma sp. of the ornate Box Turtle seemed to be identical with the recently described Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) Mycoplasma sp. This is the first report of a novel chelonian adenovirus and a mycoplasma infection in an ornate Box Turtle (T. ornata ornata) in Europe.