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27 results for “desert tortoise”
Ephemeral vegetation drivers of occupancy dynamics of Mojave desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii)
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Data for fitting spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models to estimate spatially explicit demographics of Mojave desert tortoises on a demography plot in California, USA
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Data from: Shaping species with ephemeral boundaries: the distribution and genetic structure of the desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) in the Sonoran Desert region
Aim: We examine the role biogeographical features played in the evolution of Morafka's desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) and test the hypothesis that G. morafkai maintains genetically distinct lineages associated with different Sonoran Desert biomes. Increased knowledge of the past and present distribution of the Sonoran Desert region's biota provides insight into the forces that drive and maintain its biodiversity. Location: Sonoran Desert biogeographical region; Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico and Arizona, USA. Methods: We examined wild tortoises from Mexico (n = 155) and Arizona (n = 78), spanning their known distribution. We used mtDNA sequences to reconstruct matrilineal relationships and 25 microsatellite (STR) loci for Bayesian analyses of gene flow. We performed clinal analyses on both mtDNA and STR loci to determine the position and amount of introgression where lineages co-occur. We used GIS to assess the association of genetic structuring with ecological features. We used these data in a hypothesis-driven approach to assess different models of how genetic diversity is maintained and distributed in G. morafkai. Results: Gopherus morafkai was found to comprise genetically and geographically distinct 'Sonoran' and 'Sinaloan' lineages. Both lineages occurred in a relatively narrow zone of overlap in Sinaloan thornscrub, where it transitions into Sonoran desertscrub. Limited introgression occurred at the contact zone. The best-fit model suggests that these lineages diverged in parapatry where the distribution of genotypes is environment-dependent and introgression is inhibited by exogenous selection. Main conclusions: The historically shifting ecotone between tropical deciduous forest and Sonoran desertscrub appears to be a boundary that fostered divergence between parapatric lineages of tortoises. The sharp genetic cline between the two lineages suggests that periods of isolation in temporary refugia due to Pleistocene climatic cycling influenced divergence. Despite incomplete reproductive isolation, the Sonoran and Sinaloan lineages of G. morafkai are on separate evolutionary trajectories.
Desert tortoise scat microsatellite results
<p>Sampling fecal droppings (scat) to genetically identify individual animals is an established method for monitoring mammal populations and could be highly useful for monitoring reptile populations. Whereas existing protocols for obtaining DNA from reptile scat focus on analyses of whole, fresh scat deposited during animal handling, the collection of scat naturally deposited by reptiles in situ, as required for non-invasive population monitoring, requires protocols to extract highly degraded DNA. Using surface swabs from such scats can reduce logistical challenges, ecological impacts, and zoonotic risks. We report on three related but independently designed studies of DNA analyses from scat swabs of herbivorous reptiles under natural desert conditions: two free-ranging desert tortoise species (Agassiz's desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii, California, US, and Morafka's desert tortoise, G. morafkai, Arizona, US) and the common chuckwalla (Sauromalus atar) (Arizona, US, and Sonora, MX). We analyzed samples from both tortoise species with the same set of 16 microsatellites and chuckwalla samples with four mtDNA markers; studies also varied in swab preservation medium and DNA extraction method. Microsatellite amplification success, defined as ≥9 loci with amplification varied by species: 15% of samples for Agassiz's desert tortoise and 42% Morafka's desert tortoise. For chuckwallas, we successfully amplified and sequenced 50% of samples. Fragments up to 400 bp for tortoises and 980 bp for chuckwallas were successfully recovered from scat swab samples. This study demonstrates that genotypes can successfully be obtained from swabs of herbivorous reptile scat collected in the field under natural environmental conditions and emphasizes that repeat amplifications are necessary for estimating population genetic parameters.</p>
FIG. 3 in Feral Burros and Other Influences on Desert Tortoise Presence in the Western Sonoran Desert
FIG. 3.—Predictive surface for probability of presence of Agassiz̕s Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in the Chemehuevi Valley, Sonoran Desert, California, USA. The probability of tortoise presence (based on all sign: live and dead tortoises, burrows, scats, drinking sites, and tracks) was derived from model averages for each of the 200 1-ha plots surveyed during 2009.
FIG. 2 in Feral Burros and Other Influences on Desert Tortoise Presence in the Western Sonoran Desert
FIG. 2.—Distribution of Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), Rhatany (Krameria erecta, Krameria bicolor), and White Bursage (Ambrosia dumosa) vegetation associations in the study area in the Chemehuevi Valley, Sonoran Desert, California, USA.
FIG. 4 in Feral Burros and Other Influences on Desert Tortoise Presence in the Western Sonoran Desert
FIG. 4.—Path diagram for Spearman correlations (P <0.05, j rj> 0.4) between anthropogenic variables in habitat for Agassiz̕s Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in the Chemehuevi Valley, Sonoran Desert, California, USA. Variables were rank transformed. Vegetation association was coded as a categorical variable for variable importance and as an ordinal variable in order of increasing mean elevation (1 ¼ White Bursage [Ambrosia dumosa], 2 ¼ Rhatany [Krameria erecta, Krameria bicolor], and 3 ¼ Brittlebush [Encelia farinosa]) for rank correlation. Wash ¼ Chemehuevi Wash; river ¼ Colorado River; and road ¼ paved and dirt roads. Solid, bold dark arrows show positive relationships and bold dotted arrows display negative relationships. Variables with similar subjects (e.g., burro scat, burro trails) were grouped together with solid or dotted lines. Variables grouped with fine lines either had one or no variables with correlations of significance (P <0.05, j rj> 0.4). Individual variables with fine lines had low correlations.
Data from: Shaping species with ephemeral boundaries: the distribution and genetic structure of the desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) in the Sonoran Desert region
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Data from: Habitat drives dispersal and survival of translocated juvenile desert tortoises
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Desert tortoise scat microsatellite results
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Data from: Predicting translocation outcomes with personality for desert tortoises
As mitigation- and conservation-driven translocations of declining species escalate, establishing best practices for conservation practitioners is critical. A variety of factors, such as individual behaviour, may influence post-release behaviour and survival. Here, we explored the role of individual personality in predicting post-translocation survival and behaviour in juvenile desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii). Using an experimental design with captive tortoises, we found that individual tortoises displayed clear personalities along bold-shy and investigative or exploratory continuums. Following release, personality correlated with burrow use and survival in the wild. Individuals with more exploratory personalities were encountered in burrows more often and experienced higher survival. Among the variables analysed, burrow use was also one of the strongest predictors of survival. Thus, we infer that exploratory tortoises were more likely to find and use refugia, which was beneficial to translocated tortoises. Dispersal after release was unrelated to personality, although males dispersed farther than females. Strikingly, females experienced a rate of mortality that was almost twice that of males, with no measured size differences between the sexes. We conclude that desert tortoise do have personalities which can influence survival following translocation, but which have limited implications for post-release dispersal.
Figure 7 from: Edwards T, Karl AE, Vaughn M, Rosen PC, Torres CM, Murphy RW (2016) The desert tortoise trichotomy: Mexico hosts a third, new sister-species of tortoise in the Gopherus morafkai–G. agassizii group. ZooKeys 562: 131-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.562.6124
Figure 7 - Ventral view of the holotype of Gopherus evgoodei, AMNH R64160. Scale bar 50 mm in 10 mm increments.
Figure 2 from: Edwards T, Karl AE, Vaughn M, Rosen PC, Torres CM, Murphy RW (2016) The desert tortoise trichotomy: Mexico hosts a third, new sister-species of tortoise in the Gopherus morafkai–G. agassizii group. ZooKeys 562: 131-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.562.6124
Figure 2 - The flat shell profile/shape of carapace generally distinguishes Gopherus evgoodei from other species of desert tortoises. Live, wild-caught individuals from (i–iv) Rancho Las Cabras and (v–vi) Rancho La Sierrita near Alamos, Sonora, Mexico (in Tropical Deciduous Forest).
Figure 3 from: Edwards T, Karl AE, Vaughn M, Rosen PC, Torres CM, Murphy RW (2016) The desert tortoise trichotomy: Mexico hosts a third, new sister-species of tortoise in the Gopherus morafkai–G. agassizii group. ZooKeys 562: 131-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.562.6124
Figure 3 - The rounded ventral surface of the rear feet (i–ii) and multiple enlarged, raised scales present on surface of forelegs generally (iii–iv) diagnose Gopherus evgoodei in relation to other species of desert tortoises. i–ii same individual in Figure 2 from Rancho Las Cabras near Alamos, Sonora, Mexico (in Tropical Deciduous Forest) iii–iv two individuals from Rancho Las Cabras.
Figure 5 from: Edwards T, Karl AE, Vaughn M, Rosen PC, Torres CM, Murphy RW (2016) The desert tortoise trichotomy: Mexico hosts a third, new sister-species of tortoise in the Gopherus morafkai–G. agassizii group. ZooKeys 562: 131-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.562.6124
Figure 5 - Gopherus evgoodei differs from other species of desert tortoises in often having yellow/orange integument (skin) and shell. i Rancho El Divisadero ii–iii Rancho Las Cabras; and iv–v Rancho La Sierrita near Alamos, Sonora, Mexico (in Tropical Deciduous Forest).
Figure 4 from: Edwards T, Karl AE, Vaughn M, Rosen PC, Torres CM, Murphy RW (2016) The desert tortoise trichotomy: Mexico hosts a third, new sister-species of tortoise in the Gopherus morafkai–G. agassizii group. ZooKeys 562: 131-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.562.6124
Figure 4 - Gopherus evgoodei differs from other species of desert tortoises in having a very short tail. i Rancho El Chupadero east of Guaymas (in thornscrub habitat); ii Rancho Las Cabras; and iii–i Rancho La Sierrita near Alamos, Sonora, Mexico (in Tropical Deciduous Forest).
Figure 14 from: Edwards T, Karl AE, Vaughn M, Rosen PC, Torres CM, Murphy RW (2016) The desert tortoise trichotomy: Mexico hosts a third, new sister-species of tortoise in the Gopherus morafkai–G. agassizii group. ZooKeys 562: 131-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.562.6124
Figure 14 - Ventral surface of the right rear foot of the holotype of Gopherus evgoodei, AMNH R64160.
Figure 6 from: Edwards T, Karl AE, Vaughn M, Rosen PC, Torres CM, Murphy RW (2016) The desert tortoise trichotomy: Mexico hosts a third, new sister-species of tortoise in the Gopherus morafkai–G. agassizii group. ZooKeys 562: 131-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.562.6124
Figure 6 - Dorsal view of the holotype of Gopherus evgoodei, AMNH R64160. Scale bar 50 mm in 10 mm increments.
Figure 1 from: Edwards T, Karl AE, Vaughn M, Rosen PC, Torres CM, Murphy RW (2016) The desert tortoise trichotomy: Mexico hosts a third, new sister-species of tortoise in the Gopherus morafkai–G. agassizii group. ZooKeys 562: 131-158. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.562.6124
Figure 1 - Conservative estimate of the distribution of Gopherus evgoodei in Mexico indicated by diagonal lines. Desert tortoise range limit, modified based on our field sampling, from Germano et al. (1994). Squares indicate museum and literature records of occurrence of Gopherus spp. Circles are sample locations from Edwards et al. (2015) for both Gopherus morafkai (black) and Gopherus evgoodei (white). Localities in the Sinaloan thornscrub-Sonoran desertscrub ecotone indicated by split circles, which indicate the occurrence of both Gopherus evgoodei and Gopherus morafkai genotypes and/or hybrids.
Data from: Predicting translocation outcomes with personality for desert tortoises
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