Using Local Ecological Knowledge to Document Distribution and Temporal Patterns of Macrochelys temminckii in Texas

Gordon, Amanda L.; Bontrager, David R.; Watson, James E.M.; Corbett, Tony; Crawford, Carla; Franklin, Carl; Kirby, Brian J.; Munscher, Eric C.; Ricardez, Viviana; Tuggle, Arron

doi:10.1656/058.022.0sp1211

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 58 publications

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“…Although cryptozoic and secretive (Pianka and Vitt 2003), North American scincids are relatively slow (Smith 1997;Watson 2008) and can be easily captured by hand. The freshwater turtle family Chelydridae, represented by only two species in Texas, has received substantial research attention over the past decade due to the imperiled status of Macrochelys temminckii (Gordon et al 2023;Munscher et al 2023;Rosenbaum et al 2023). During this period, a remarkable 19 records have been published for the species, increasing its known range within the state by 54% (Table 2; Dixon 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Updated geographic distributions for Texas reptiles

Bassett,

Pandelis

2024

RandA

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As is the case for many taxa in the Anthropocene, reptile conservation is challenged by an assortment of human-mediated factors. Distributional data for reptile species can be highly useful for informing conservation action. For example, species occurrence data can be used to model suitable habitat as well as quantify contraction, expansion, or shift in the distribution of a species. Texas, USA has a rich reptile fauna including one crocodilian, 32 testudine, 55 lacertilian, and 82 serpent species. However, literature pertaining to the distribution of these species has not been synthesized for over a decade. The goals of our study were to visually summarize all published distributional data for reptile species in the state with updated distribution maps; to tabulate all novel and historic distribution data that is absent from the last statewide synthesis; and to characterize any taxonomic, geographic, or temporal trends of distribution record reporting that have occurred in the state over the last decade. We discovered a total of 659 records that supplement the maps provided in the last statewide synthesis, 40% of which were found in published materials that predate that synthesis. Regarding distributional records published over the last decade, there was no apparent temporal trend – record reporting across years appeared to be stochastic. The number of records published for reptile families generally followed patterns of species richness, although several families had fewer or more records than would be expected. These results might be due to several factors including species biology, variable rates of potential range spread or contraction, and variable research attention (historically and contemporarily). Spatially, we found hot spots of record reporting in the southern, western, and northern portions of the state. We suspect these represent either a contemporary geographic bias of research attention, historically poor range characterization for reptile species occupying these regions, or a combination of both. We also found cold spots of record reporting in the northwestern portion of the Panhandle. These are likely due to natural patterns of reptile diversity as well as geographically biased research attention. Future work to be conducted on reptile distributions in Texas should include a thorough synthesis and revisiting of the voucher specimen data associated with these records.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Updated geographic distributions for Texas reptiles

Bassett,

Pandelis

2024

RandA

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MOVEMENT PATTERNS, HOME RANGE, AND MICROHABITAT USE OF ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLES (MACROCHELYS TEMMINCKII) IN A SMALL EAST TEXAS STREAM SYSTEM

Adams,

Gartenstein,

Pierce

et al. 2024

The Texas Journal of Science

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The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii), the largest freshwater turtle in North America, faces numerous threats, with population declines and range contractions suspected to have occurred across its historic range. Previous research studying movement patterns and microhabitat use of M. temminckii has mostly been conducted in large, open, lentic environments and few studies have been conducted in small, lotic habitats. We investigated the movement and microhabitat use of adult female and juvenile M. temminckii within Bonaldo Creek, a small tributary of the Angelina River in eastern Texas. Six M. temminckii were monitored (two or three relocations per week) via radiotelemetry from July 2008 to September 2009. We found that the linear home range for adult females (405.1–1395.5 m) was longer than that of the unsexed juveniles (439.7–996.9 m), although movement frequency was similar between groups. Juveniles utilized a smaller subset of microhabitats compared to adult females. Adult females utilized microhabitats with abundant submerged structure, while overhanging vegetation was an important microhabitat feature for juveniles. The broader microhabitat use we observed in adult females may have been influenced by seasonal factors, highlighting the need for more long-term, seasonal assessments of M. temminckii movement and microhabitat. Such investigations will bolster our understanding of the spatial and temporal factors that influence M. temminckii populations in different systems.

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Using Local Ecological Knowledge to Document Distribution and Temporal Patterns of Macrochelys temminckii in Texas

Cited by 2 publications

References 58 publications

Updated geographic distributions for Texas reptiles

Updated geographic distributions for Texas reptiles

MOVEMENT PATTERNS, HOME RANGE, AND MICROHABITAT USE OF ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLES (MACROCHELYS TEMMINCKII) IN A SMALL EAST TEXAS STREAM SYSTEM

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