Integrating life history and spatial ecology variation into conservation plans for turtles

在其分布范围内，物种在成熟期的年龄和大小、繁殖产量、行为和种群之间的栖息地选择方面表现出相当大的差异。即使在种群内部，个体之间也可能存在广泛的差异。这种变化在一定程度上代表了对当地环境条件和资源的表型适应，在设计濒危物种恢复计划时需要考虑到这一点。我的研究计划的目标是在当地适应和物种保护的背景下，检查野生物种在不同组织水平上的变异。我的研究项目侧重于多种海龟。从保护的角度来看，海龟是一个极其重要的群体，因为在世界上大约300个物种中，由于栖息地破坏以及宠物、传统医药和食品贸易的收获，大约三分之二的海龟数量正在减少。保护加拿大海龟的倡议应侧重于如何减少车辆碰撞、高筑巢失败率、湿地栖息地丧失以及额外的成年海龟死亡率对种群生存的影响。我的团队最近的重要工作包括对濒临灭绝的斑海龟进行种群生存分析，揭示了成年海龟生存对种群持续生存的重要性。我们还对濒危的木龟的生活史特征进行了广泛的比较，对彩龟的性别大小二型性进行了广泛的比较，并确定和量化了斑海龟和受威胁的斑海龟的关键栖息地。我们对几种海龟在野外冬眠地点的选择进行了量化，结果显示，海龟选择的冬眠地点允许它们将体温保持在略高于冰点的水平，这可能是为了减少能量消耗和负面新陈代谢副产品。我目前和未来的工作包括测试几种缓解措施(例如，人工筑巢地点、生态通道、围栏、筑巢笼子)，以降低几种濒危海龟的额外成虫死亡率并提高筑巢成功率，这些研究将产生直接适用于物种恢复的基于科学的成果。

Across its range distribution, a species displays considerable differences in age and size at maturity, reproductive output, behaviour, and habitat selection among populations. And even within populations, there can be extensive variation among individuals. This variation, in part, represents phenotypic adaptations to local environmental conditions and resources, and needs to be considered in the design of recovery plans for species at risk. The objective of my research program is to examine variation in the wild at multiple levels of organization in the context of local adaptations and species conservation. My research program focuses on multiple species of turtles. From a conservation perspective, turtles are an extremely important group because, of the approximately 300 species world-wide, about 2/3 are declining in numbers as a result of habitat destruction and harvesting for the pet, traditional medicine, and food trades. Conservation initiatives for Canada's turtles should focus on ways to mitigate mortality from vehicular collisions, high rates of nest failure, loss of wetland habitat, and the impact of additive adult mortality on population viability. Recent important work from my group includes population viability analyses for endangered Spotted Turtles that revealed the importance of adult survival for population persistence. We have also made range-wide comparisons of life history traits in endangered Wood Turtles, range-wide comparisons of sexual size dimorphism in Painted Turtles, and have identified and quantified critical habitat for Spotted Turtles and threatened Blanding's Turtles. Our quantification of hibernation site selection in the wild by several species of turtles has revealed that turtles choose sites that allow them to maintain body temperatures just slightly above freezing, probably to reduce energy expenditures and negative metabolic by-products. My current and future work includes tests of several mitigative measures (e.g., artificial nest sites, ecopassages, fencing, nest cages) to curb additive adult mortality and enhance nest success for several species of at risk turtles, and these studies will produce scientifically-based deliverables directly applicable to species recovery.