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effects of reduction mowing on gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus)
- Date Issued:
- 2007
- Summary:
- The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is endemic to the Southeast United States, where its populations are declining primarily due to habitat loss. Gopher tortoises prefer habitats with open sunny spots for nesting and basking. Fire is a normal element in gopher tortoise habitat, and when natural fires are suppressed, habitats may become too overgrown. To maintain the open spaces, some land managers use reduction mowing of vegetation. I studied gopher tortoises in the Abacoa Greenway reserve, established to protect the tortoises in a residential area of Jupiter, Florida, and I examined how reduction mowing influences tortoise activity. I evaluated the distribution of burrows throughout the study site by flagging the burrows both before and after extensive reduction mowing took place in the greenway. Statistical comparison between new burrows found within the interior as compared to the periphery both before and after the mowing reveal a significant relationship between both variables. These results suggest that the tortoises utilize newly mowed areas as preferred substrate for new burrows.
Title: | The effects of reduction mowing on gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus). |
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Name(s): |
Del Signore, Vincent. Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College |
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Type of Resource: | text | |
Genre: | Thesis | |
Issuance: | multipart monograph | |
Date Issued: | 2007 | |
Publisher: | Florida Atlantic University | |
Physical Form: |
electronic electronic resource |
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Extent: | v, 24 leaves : ill. (some col.). | |
Language(s): | English | |
Summary: | The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is endemic to the Southeast United States, where its populations are declining primarily due to habitat loss. Gopher tortoises prefer habitats with open sunny spots for nesting and basking. Fire is a normal element in gopher tortoise habitat, and when natural fires are suppressed, habitats may become too overgrown. To maintain the open spaces, some land managers use reduction mowing of vegetation. I studied gopher tortoises in the Abacoa Greenway reserve, established to protect the tortoises in a residential area of Jupiter, Florida, and I examined how reduction mowing influences tortoise activity. I evaluated the distribution of burrows throughout the study site by flagging the burrows both before and after extensive reduction mowing took place in the greenway. Statistical comparison between new burrows found within the interior as compared to the periphery both before and after the mowing reveal a significant relationship between both variables. These results suggest that the tortoises utilize newly mowed areas as preferred substrate for new burrows. | |
Identifier: | 309783979 (oclc), 40270 (digitool), FADT40270 (IID), fau:1461 (fedora) | |
Note(s): |
by Vincent Del Signore. Thesis (B.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, Honors College, 2007. Bibliography: leaf 24. Preliminary numbering begins with title page. Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2007. Mode of access: World Wide Web. |
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Subject(s): |
Gopher tortoise -- Ecology -- Florida Greenways -- Florida -- Jupiter -- Abacoa Niche (Ecology) Adaptation (Biology) Environmental impact analysis -- Florida Prescribed burning -- Florida |
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Held by: | FBoU FAUER | |
Persistent Link to This Record: | http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/40270 | |
Use and Reproduction: | Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder. | |
Host Institution: | FAU |