turtles of the santa fe river gerald r. johnston, ph.d. santa fe college
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Turtles of the Santa Fe River
Gerald R. Johnston, Ph.D.Santa Fe College
What is the Santa Fe River Turtle Project?Cooperative effort by scientists and studentsStudy and promote conservation of native turtlesSanta Fe River drainage
Goals of the SFRTP1.Describe the Santa Fe River turtle assemblage
species compositionrelative abundance of speciesdistribution of each species
2.Test hypotheses → factors affecting patterns of distribution3.Assess health of populations4.Establish long-term monitoring program5.Public education6.Long-term persistence of entire turtle assemblage
Study Sites
T
T
T,S
T,S
T,S
T
T T
T
T = trapping S = snorkeling
Trapping
Snorkeling
Measuring
Marking
Preliminary Summary1.10 native species
67% of Florida’s freshwater species2.2 Florida Species of Special Concern
Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii)Suwannee Cooter (Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis)
3.Uneven distribution throughout river4.Detailed description of River Rise assemblage
250 turtles / km640 kg / km
5.Generally healthy populations6.Several threats
Suwannee Cooter(Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis)
Species of Special Concern (FFWCC)Abundant: River Rise – Ginnie SpringsHerbivoreRiverineSexual dimorphism
Florida Red-Bellied Turtle(Pseudemys nelsoni)
Florida Cooter(Pseudemys floridana)
RareCarnivore → Herbivore
RareHerbivore
Suwannee Cooter Look-alikes
Yellow-Bellied Slider(Trachemys scripta scripta)
Common2nd most abundant basking turtleOmnivoreSexual dimorphismUnique population: habitat & geographic location
Yellow-Bellied Slider(T. s. scripta)
native
Red-Eared Slider(T. s. elegans)
non-native
Hybrid(scripta x elegans)
genetic pollution
Loggerhead Musk Turtle(Sternotherus minor)
Common Musk Turtle(Sternotherus odoratus)
Striped Mud Turtle(Kinosternon baurii)
AbundantDurophagous
RareOmnivore
RareOmnivore
Florida Softshell(Apalone ferox)
RareCarnivoreSexual dimorphism
Bush hook
Florida Snapping Turtle(Chelydra serpentina)
Absent - locally abundantOmnivore
Alligator Snapping Turtle(Macrochelys temminckii)
Species of Special Concern (FFWCC)Rare – commonOmnivoreUnique
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0-49
50-9
9
100-
149
150-
199
200-
249
250-
299
300-
349
350-
399
400-
449
450-
499
500-
549
550-
599
Curved Carapace Length (mm)
# In
divi
dual
s
Juvenile Male Female
Population Size Structure in O’Leno State Park
What is next?1.Continued intensive sampling
Rum Island – Ginnie SpringsCamp KulaquaRiver Rise Preserve State Park
2.Basking survey: Suwannee Cooter3.Trapping survey: Alligator Snapping Turtle4.Radiotelemetry: 2 snapping turtle species5.New Florida harvest regulations?!
Florida Turtle Harvest Update(Proposed Rule)
Ban commercial take or sale of wild freshwater turtlesProhibit collection of imperiled speciesProhibit collection of species the look similar to imperiled speciesProhibit collection of eggsAllow take of 1 fw turtle/day/person from wild for non-commercial useProhibit transport of more than 1 turtle per dayAllow tightly controlled collection by farmers for breeding purposes
April 15 meeting: commissioners consider draft ruleJune meeting: rule (if approved) advertised for final hearingPublic comments any time during process
testify at commission [email protected]
What can you do?1.Support proposed FFWCC harvest laws2.Be vigilant3.Educate the public4.Participate in research5.Additional ideas
AcknowledgmentsSFC Herpetology Club Rebecca Cox Scott Holznagel Jennifer Johnston Anthony Lau Wes Oehmig Eric Suarez Travis ThomasSteffi Affron (Camp Kulaqua)Ben Atkinson (UF)Kevin Enge (FFWCC)Dale Kendrick (O’Leno/River Rise S.P.)Yurii Kornilev (UF)Kenney Krysko (FLMNH)Joe Mitchell (Mitchell Ecol. Serv.)Paul Moler (FFWCC)Max Nickerson (FLMNH)Dan Pearson (FL DEP)Perran Ross (UF)Morgan Tyrone (O’Leno/River Rise S.P.)Jim Wood (Santa Fe Canoe Outpost)Phil Younts (Camp Kulaqua)
