AUTHORS: Neil Boyles, Wittenberg University; Lily Bonar, Wittenberg University; Tori Hinkle, Wittenberg University; Richard Phillips, Wittenberg University
ABSTRACT: Spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata) are a small elusive species of freshwater turtle that lives in wetlands across the Eastern United States. Clark County, Ohio sits on the edge of the turtles’ Midwestern range and their populations there are small with little known about these populations’ current status. We conducted mark-recapture surveys at two sites known to hold turtles using the standardized Regional Spotted Turtle Assessment Protocol. Surveyed populations were compared to healthy known populations from the literature. When compared to the species mean, the surveyed turtles were significantly smaller than expected in five out of eight measurements. The age ratios were different from what is expected in a healthy, stable population as well as from well studied populations using similar survey techniques with no hatchling turtles being surveyed at either site. Since the surveyed populations’ age ratios are different from a theoretical healthy population, as well as from other populations surveyed using similar techniques represented in literature, this could suggest there is a true difference from a healthy population that cannot simply be chalked up to bias in survey technique. Though, there is likely bias in hoop net traps towards adult turtles as juveniles and hatchlings are underrepresented in almost every survey using them. The small sizes of the turtles could be of interest from a genetic standpoint since the mean sizes are small in the region which could indicate genetic drift having a substantial effect on these turtles. There is some interplay in the results since the aging metric is based on plastron size. Our turtles are shown to be smaller than average and as a result their ages are likely underestimated which in turn means some turtles labeled as juvenile could be adults since that distinction is made by age.
