Integrating life history variation into conservation of reptiles

在整个分布范围内，物种在成熟期的年龄和大小、繁殖产量、行为和种群间的栖息地选择方面表现出相当大的差异，在种群内，个体之间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。我的研究计划的长期目标是在当地适应和物种恢复和保护的背景下，检查野生物种在不同组织水平上的变异。我的目标是通过实施多物种比较方法来更好地理解脊椎动物外温带的一般生态模式，我的大部分工作都是关于海龟的。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。

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.