Detection, Occupancy, Abundance, and Mercury Accumulation of the Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) in Texas

<p>Land use practices and physical alterations of ecosystems result in habitat loss and fragmentation, while chemical alterations, such as pollutant input, reduce habitat quality and health of exposed organisms. Here, I investigated the effects of watershed- and local-scale environmental variables on the occupancy, abundance, and mercury accumulation of a threatened aquatic species (<em>Macrochelys temminckii</em>,<em> </em>i.e., alligator snapping turtle) within the southwestern periphery of its distribution. Hierarchical modeling suggested the distribution of the species is more affected by watershed-scale land-cover than local habitat, and provided a baseline estimate of average species abundance across its range in eastern Texas. Abundance and occupancy were predicted by geographic location, and occupancy associated positively with forest cover. Mercury concentrations were predicted by environmental features at multiple scales, whereas body size had little effect. This research corroborates evidence that land use impacts aquatic species, as well as the susceptibility of aquatic systems to mercury accumulation.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science - Forestry

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Forestry

Year dc:date.available

2022

Author dc:creator

• Rosenbaum, David

Contributors dc:contributor

• Yanli Zhang
• Christopher M. Schalk
• Daniel Saenz

• occupancy
• abundance
• occupancy model
• wildlife monitoring
• conservation
• ecology
• mercury
• Biodiversity
• Forest Management
• Population Biology
• Zoology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/444

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.sfasu.edu:etds-1471