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15 November 2021 First Year Survival of Hatchling Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) at Their Northern Range Limit in Michigan's Lower Peninsula
Joseph T. Altobelli, Patrick B. Laarman, Jennifer A. Moore
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Abstract

As adult turtle mortality increases as a result of anthropogenic threats, understanding the survival of younger age classes may help mitigate population declines. We radiotracked hatchling Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) through the first year of life in a Michigan population, located on the northern edge of their range. We monitored 60 hatchlings for between 2 and 333 d and estimated annual survival using known-fate survival estimates. From 2013 to 2015, 14 hatchlings (23%) were depredated, 19 hatchlings (32%) died because of exposure, and 2 hatchlings (3%) were crushed by motor vehicles. Survival decreased through the first year of life with a drop in survival probability from nest emergence in the autumn, before it reached 50% during overwintering (day 50 = 0.503; SE = 0.067), then again decreased with spring emergence and ending with 0% survival (day 333 = 0.0). Hatchlings that emerged in September survived up to 107 d longer than hatchlings that emerged in October, and larger hatchlings had a significantly higher probability of survival over smaller individuals. No small hatchlings survived through overwintering, whereas large hatchlings had a 0.82 (±0.095 SE) survival probability 228 d posthatching. Threats to a species survival at the limits of its range are often different from those faced by populations centrally located within the range. Thus, studies should be conducted across the Eastern Box Turtle's range to determine how survival probabilities vary in populations experiencing different environmental conditions.

Copyright 2021 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
Joseph T. Altobelli, Patrick B. Laarman, and Jennifer A. Moore "First Year Survival of Hatchling Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) at Their Northern Range Limit in Michigan's Lower Peninsula," Journal of Herpetology 55(4), 432-441, (15 November 2021). https://doi.org/10.1670/19-129
Accepted: 14 June 2021; Published: 15 November 2021
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