Integrating life history variation into conservation of reptiles

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Across its range distribution, a species displays considerable differences in age and size at maturity, reproductive output, behaviour and habitat selection among populations, and 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 (SAR). The long-term 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 recovery and conservation. I aim to better understand general ecological patterns in vertebrate ectotherms by implementing a multi-species comparative approach, with most of my work on 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. ******Over the next 5 years, my long-term research objective will be supported by projects categorized into 3 short-term themes. The first theme involves examination of the relationships among body size, body condition, environmental factors, and reproductive output in turtles, and will advance knowledge in the fields of reproductive ecology and life history evolution. The second theme involves the examination of relationships among turtle nest site fidelity, nest density, and nest survival, and will provide insight into mechanisms driving the evolution of female nest site choice, in turn providing information to understand the impacts of nest site destruction on turtle populations in a conservation context. Because conservation initiatives for Canada's turtles should focus on ways to mitigate road mortality, high rates of nest failure, loss of wetland habitat, and the impact of additive adult mortality on population viability, the third theme involves applied spatial ecology research that produces deliverables that directly inform government policy and aid species recovery. ******I have the extremely rare privilege to access long-term mark-recapture, morphological, and reproductive data on 3 species of turtles in Canada, providing my research program unparalleled opportunities to address questions about the evolution of life histories in long-lived organisms of significant conservation concern.