In an effort to identify long-term changes in a river turtle community and its habitat, we reexamined the turtle community in a 4.6 km section of the North Fork of White River (NFWR), Ozark County, Missouri, that was previously studied between 1969 and 1980. We compared data collected in 2004 to data from 1969 and 1980 to determine if alterations in the habitat, community composition, or Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica) population size and structure had occurred. Previous studies showed that the population of G. geographica declined between 1969 and 1980. Our results indicate that the population of G. geographica failed to rebound by 2004. The population of Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) that established in the research section between 1971 and 1980 expanded their distribution between 1980 and 2004. Threats to the population of G. geographica included lack of basking sites, increased human recreational use of the stream, and water quality degradation.
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20 September 2012
Reassessment of the Turtle Community in the North Fork of White River, Ozark County, Missouri
Amber L. Pitt,
Max A. Nickerson
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Copeia
Vol. 2012 • No. 3
September 2012
Vol. 2012 • No. 3
September 2012