Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Natural Resources

First Advisor

Brittany A. Mosher

Second Advisor

James Murdoch

Abstract

Habitat loss, caused by factors like urbanization and land conversion, disrupts ecosystems and can lead to population declines and even extinctions of species that rely on those habitats for survival. Loss of shoreline habitat has been widespread and reduces nesting grounds for species like freshwater turtles, often threatening their reproductive success and population viability. In the Lake Champlain Basin, several turtle species have experienced declines and recovery efforts are limited by a lack of information on habitats selected during the crucial period of nesting. This study aimed to identify and characterize nesting habitat selection of freshwater turtles and included two components. The first focused on the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) and snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) and evaluated the effects of three common habitat management techniques on nest site selection using experimental plots with treatments (control, vegetation removal, debris removal, and both vegetation and debris removal). The second estimated the habitat associations of nesting and non-nesting sites of the threatened spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) based on field surveys and expert opinion data scored through an analytic hierarchy process. The first study showed that the painted turtle selected both vegetation and debris removal treatment plots for nesting more frequently than control plots, whereas the snapping turtle showed no nest site selection based on treatment types. The second study showed that predator presence and human use had the strongest influence on nest site selection over other variables including substrate type, ground cover, beach orientation, and substrate compaction. Experts ranked human use as the most important nest site variable followed by substrate type and substrate temperature. Results indicate that vegetation and debris removal as a shoreline management action along with predation management and minimizing human disturbance of potential nesting sites may offer benefits to Lake Champlain’s diverse assemblage of freshwater turtles.

Language

en

Number of Pages

66 p.

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