Objective
This project aims to advance scientific understanding of the effects of multiple stressors on populations of the Spotted Turtle, a declining and increasingly threatened species, and of the importance of Department of Defense (DoD) installations management in mitigating declines. Knowledge derived from this research will improve the effectiveness of management methods for the species by (1) providing valuable data on Spotted Turtle responses to multiple priority stressors on DoD and supporting lands, (2) providing site specific data on the thermal ecology and resource selection of Spotted Turtles for inclusion in Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans, (3) contributing toward more resilient natural landscapes for military training, and (4) providing data to help inform Endangered Species Act assessment of the Spotted Turtle, thereby advancing the science of Cumulative Risk Assessment (CRA) on at-risk species and improving overall mission-readiness.
Technical Approach
The project will examine the individual and interactive effects of priority stressors – including climate and landcover changes – on nest site selection and success, and hatchling sex ratio and survival in the Spotted Turtle in a CRA framework. To do this, the project team will (1) deploy microclimate sensors across the potential nesting habitat of Spotted Turtles to develop a Thermal Landscape Model across different climates and land cover types, (2) assess nest site selection of these turtles, and (3) evaluate egg, embryo and nest success, and hatchling sex and vitality, in response to differing incubation microclimate conditions.
Benefits
This project will refine a conceptual model of stressor impacts on Spotted Turtles through a demonstration of the interaction of landcover and climate on key demographic classes of Spotted Turtles. This can lead to the development of a full scope project to establish the effects of exposure to key land use/land cover and climate stressors (i.e., temperature/warming, drought and flooding, roads and predation). When evaluated in a CRA, revelation of differential effects on population viability across climate and land use gradients (i.e., geographies) can support the prioritization of strategic conservation management practices for the Spotted Turtle at the national, regional and local level. There is high potential to link this information to mitigation strategies on installations that could target each of these stressors through the management of land use, vegetation, water, and subsidized predators.