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Demographic Survey of Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) at the Abacoa Greenway

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Date Issued:
2014
Summary:
The Abacoa Greenway reserve is a 105 ha preserve in Jupiter, Florida. We investigated the demographics of the gopher tortoise population and their burrow distributions in a 9 ha portion of the greenway (Range VIa) used for the relocation of gopher tortoises. Range VIa currently houses at least 90 tortoises. According to state guidelines this reserve is considered to be a “support population” with ≤250 individuals living in an area ≤100 ha. We found that the tortoises in the reserve are showing signs of maturity at a younger age (7-10 years) and a larger size (25-35 cm carapace length) compared to more northern populations. We hypothesize that this is due to the latitudinal climate effects and warm winters allowing year-round foraging. For the gopher tortoise burrow distribution, we found that many tortoises are creating new burrows on the periphery due to the overgrowth of the vegetation in the interior of the reserve and a reduction mowing is needed.
Title: Demographic Survey of Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) at the Abacoa Greenway.
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Name(s): Sano, Tokio
Moore, Jon
Wetterer, James K.
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Thesis
Date Created: Spring 2014
Date Issued: 2014
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Florida
Physical Form: pdf
Extent: 26 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The Abacoa Greenway reserve is a 105 ha preserve in Jupiter, Florida. We investigated the demographics of the gopher tortoise population and their burrow distributions in a 9 ha portion of the greenway (Range VIa) used for the relocation of gopher tortoises. Range VIa currently houses at least 90 tortoises. According to state guidelines this reserve is considered to be a “support population” with ≤250 individuals living in an area ≤100 ha. We found that the tortoises in the reserve are showing signs of maturity at a younger age (7-10 years) and a larger size (25-35 cm carapace length) compared to more northern populations. We hypothesize that this is due to the latitudinal climate effects and warm winters allowing year-round foraging. For the gopher tortoise burrow distribution, we found that many tortoises are creating new burrows on the periphery due to the overgrowth of the vegetation in the interior of the reserve and a reduction mowing is needed.
Identifier: FA00003625 (IID)
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, 2014.
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00003625
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Host Institution: FAU

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