A Study of the Home Range and Behavior of the Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene c.

carolina)
on the Campus of The Lovett School

Catherine Danelia, Lauren Moore, Wyatt Nelson, and Hope Valls

Abstract:

A. What are the objectives of the study?

The objective of the study is to track the population of the Eastern Box Turtle within the Lovett
School to calculate baseline data on how the turtles operate within their environment. Since
2005, physical characteristics like weight, sex, and length and behavioral traits like home ranges
are calculated to determine if the turtles maintain a healthy population on campus, even though
recent developments, like a 2.5 square acre baseball complex, have threatened the population.

B. How was the study done?

Throughout the study, groups periodically (usually once a week) searched for their box turtle
using radio telemetry to find its location on Lovetts campus. Each time a group searched, they
would use an antenna and a receiver to search for its location by listening to signals sent from the
turtles transmitter to their receiver. After finding the turtle, groups would mark the site of the
capture on the nearest tree. At the end of the study, each group totaled 12 finds and was able to to
create a map of their turtles home range. By each group conducting this each year, a
documented history of the characteristics of the turtle population on campus can be created.

C. What results were obtained?

By using the results from the past years, it is determined that on average 7 new turtles are found
a year. Then, of the 84 documented turtles, only 4 have been found dead. Also, these turtles
home ranges vary throughout campus and overlap, but are not the exact same. By utilizing the
number of new turtles captured, the home range size and location, and the death rate among
known turtles, we can determine how healthy the box turtle population is.

D. What is the significance of the results?

These results highlight that the box turtle population is flourishing. With an average of 7 new
turtles being found each year, that shows that the real population is typically greater than the
already documented population, and therefore contains 80 or more turtles, which is a healthy
number for a population within an area this size. Then, only 4 of the 84 turtles are known to be
deceased from the past 12 years, meaning that they are not being dangerously threatened. To
continue, most turtles home ranges differ, providing that resources are steadily available
throughout the area. These results prove that there is a healthy environment for box turtles in
which they can have a long life span due to the availability of resources.

Introduction:

A. Why is this study of scientific interest and what is your objective?

This study is of scientific interest to us to help us understand the ecology of the environment.
The Eastern Box Turtle population can be an indicator of the health of an ecosystem, and also
help maintain the stability of an ecosystem through its predation and ecosystem services. Since
Lovetts campus is continually developing, it is important to realize the environmental impact of
these actions. Joy Hester, a professor at Davidson, conducted a study titled Effects of
Relocation on Movements and Home Ranges of Eastern Box Turtles. This specific study
concluded that once a box turtle loses its home range, it will have a higher chance of mortality
due to its inexperience in a new area and not known where resources are available. This study
highlights the scientific interest in our study, because the effect of the developing campus on our
turtle population needs to be decided. To continue, the study titled Population Ecology of the
Eastern Box Turtle in a Fragmented Landscape by professor Nathan Nazdrowicz, conveys the
point that land fragmented by human will increase mortality by isolating turtles to one area in
which they must compete for resources within many overlapping home ranges. This highlights
another interest of ours, which is deciding if we have alter the land enough to severely impact the
box turtles population and home ranges. Then, the resources valuable to turtles are usually
centered around water, which is stated in Professor Bridget Donaldsons work, Aquatic Habitat
Use Relative to Home Range and Seasonal Movement of Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene
carolina carolina: Emydidae) in Eastern Tennessee. We want to understand where turtles home
ranges are and why they are there, and this study relates to that by concluding that box turtles
revolve their lives around their access to water. Through this study we can learn how we impact
the Eastern Box Turtle and can protect it, which can help us protect the overall ecosystem as
well. In Nazdrowiczs study titled Eastern Box Turtle Movement in a Fragmented Landscape,
data is collected and analyzed on male vs. female movement and home range size, which varies
seasonally.

B. Our Contribution

Our study will help contribute to the study of Eastern Box Turtles by finding out where their
home ranges are and why they are there. Also, it will study how the continuous fragmentation of
the turtles habitat effects their home range. These contributions can help determine the human
impact on the Eastern Box Turtles lifestyle within our campus to better understand our
ecosystem and improve it. While other studies focus on Northeastern and mid-Atlantic regions
(such as Delaware and North Carolina), our study contributes to the understanding of Eastern
Box Turtle behavior and habitat in the Southeastern region, specifically in Georgia.

C. Last Sentence

A goal of ours is to track the turtle's location for a specific amount of time to determine home
range size and location within the fragmented environment. Therefore, we can accomplish
another objective and decide if fragmentation and human impact greatly affect the turtles. Once
discovering the causes of the turtles home range within our campus, we can learn how to protect
the Eastern Box Turtles in our ecosystem.

Materials and Methods:

When first assigned a turtle in mid-August, the groups have to measure baseline data. To
do so, a scale, a ruler, and slide calipers are necessary to measure weight (grams), length, width,
and depth (cm). A phone is also used to take pictures while measuring the baseline data, as well
as throughout the study to show the turtle during each find. After recording measurements, a
TRX-16S transmitter has to be attached to the carapace, or the tail end, of the box turtle. It is
placed on the shell with velcro. Camouflage duct tape is put over the tracker to ensure it does not
come off when the turtle is released and to match the turtle's shell as best as possible. The
specific transmitter and the channel on the receiver that the group will track the turtle with is
recorded in a binder, where the baseline data is also recorded.
After measuring the turtles baseline data, it is released into the general area it had been
found. The group sets out to find the turtle once a week during the span of 4 months, with the
goal of identifying a general home range for the turtle. On each hunt, a receiver and antenna are
taken to the turtles location on campus. The group also takes a backpack filled with some
ribbon, a sharpie and some bug spray to fend off the insects. Once at the location, the antenna is
attached to the receiver (with the attenuator off). The receiver is switched to the correct channel
and the gain is initially set higher (around 12 oclock) to get a general signal. The antenna is
pointed in four different general directions and the group then proceeds to follow the direction
that produces the strongest signal on the receiver. The strength of the signal can be identified in
two ways, the number of red bars shown on the receiver and the intensity of the beeping sound.
If you see red bars but arent hearing any sound, your tune might need adjusting as this controls
the pitch of the sound emitted. The gain is gradually lowered as the group approaches the turtle.
Once the signal is high enough, the attenuator is turned on to locate the turtle. The receiver is
moved around near the ground and this process identifies where the turtle is situated. The turtle
is often burrowed under brush, and those out on the hunt have to move around twigs and shrubs
to visually locate the turtle. In the colder months, the turtle is often positioned deeper in the
ground, requiring more digging and physical searching by the group. Once the turtle is tracked
down, a piece of ribbon is attached to the nearest tree and the date and find number are recorded
on the ribbon. After each hunt, information is recorded and kept in the group binder. This
information includes if visual contact is made, weather conditions in the past 24 hours, the time
of the find, location, and any additional notes. This process is repeated with each hunt,
accumulating in 12 total hunts throughout the allotted time period. This process, repeated
annually with different groups, begins in mid-August and ends in the beginning of December.

Results:

A. The data in our results showed that we had a total of 84 turtles who were captured
between the years of 2005 and 2016 (Table 2). Of those 84, 46 of them were males and
38 of them were female (Table 1). In terms of the number of new turtles captured each
year we had the most in 2005 where there were a total of 16 and the least in 2014 where
only one new turtle was found (Table 3). Overall there seemed to be no correlation
between the year captured and the number of new turtles that were found. Some of the
turtles who were initially captured were also recaptured later on. 36 out of the total 84
have been experimented with in multiple years. In some cases, like with Oaky and Jewell
who were recaptured a surprising total of 6 times over the 11 years of collected data
(Table 5). Recaptures were seen virtually every year. The only year where none of the
turtles used were recaptures was in 2005 since it was the first year the turtles were
logged. The largest number of turtle recaptures seen was in 2013 with 16 of the 22 turtles
use being recaptures (Table 4).
B. 1. Total number of male and total number of female turtles captured in the study (Table 1

2.Total Number of Box Turtles Captured in Study (Table 2)

3. Number of Newly Captured Box Turtles per year (Table 3)

4. Number of Recaptures per year (Table 4)

5. Individual turtles and their number of times recaptured (Table 5)

Sexual Dimorphism:

6. Population estimate of the study area (Figure 6)

Mark & Recapture Population Estimates:

using multiple years for initial capture
(36+1)(17+1) = 74
(10-1)

2016 using 2015 as initial capture and 2016 as recapture

(10+1)(17+1) = 22
(10-1)
 7. Home Range Sizes by Gender (Table 7)

8. Average Home Ranges by Valley (Male vs. Female) (Table 8)

9. Number of Turtles Captured in Each Named Valley

10. Average Rescued Home Range Size

11. Rescued Home Range Location

Discussion:

Male vs Female Population Size

In our study we have captured a total population of 84 turtles that was male heavy (Table 2). Of
the overall captured population, 46 or 55% of the turtles were male, while 38 or 45% of the
turtles were female (Table 1). This supports the point that in our habitat males are slightly more
prominent and have a greater population. Raymond Iglay and his staff found that when they
searched for box turtles in Delaware, 53% were male and and 47% were female, which correlates
with our study. Additionally, Nathan H. Nazdrowicz, Jacob L. Bowman, and Roland R. Roth
note that in their study of Box turtles in 4 areas of New Castle County Delaware, that 2 of the
areas were male-biased for all captures, one area had a ratio of 3:1 and the other had a ratio of
2:1, while the other two were unbiased (Nazdrowicz 749). In our study, approximately 23 male
turtles are caught for every 19 female turtles.
The slightly higher male population is due to the traits that vary among sex. For example, males
move around more (usually for mating purposes) while females try to conserve energy, which
makes more males easier to be caught traveling.

Fragmented vs. Unfragmented Habitats:

Box turtles have a long

lifespan (close to 50 years), so it is
difficult to definitively follow trends in the short number of years the project has been underway,
however, we can make certain inferences on the effects of human disturbance and fragmentation
on box turtle populations and home ranges. As stated above, the sex ratio of our study is male-
heavy. Additionally, our study locations are all on the Lovett campus, which is considerably
fragmented by roads, parking lots, fields, and buildings. In a similar study monitoring population
ecology in fragmented habitats in Delaware, the sex-ratio of their captures were male-heavy as
well (Nazdrowicz 751).
While this uneven sex ratio can be attributed to the increased movement of males,
Nazdrowicz and Bowman interpret their corresponding data as a possible indication of unstable,
inviable, or declining box turtle populations. According to the researchers, the Woodlot (the most
isolated area studied that was also subject to the most human disturbance) showed a male-biased
sex ratio, as well as a long-term decline in abundance. When this data is put in the context of our
fragmented Lovett campus, our male-heavy sex ratio may be a sign that our box turtles
population is threatened by the increased fragmentation in the area.
Another key data point in our findings is that the Switchbacks location has the highest
average male home range size compare to other locations (more than .6 acres larger). The
Switchbacks are less subject to human disturbances relative to the other locations, as it is farther
away from parking lots, roads, and fields. While the largest number of male turtles were found in
Hidden Valley (14 turtles), their home ranges were almost 62% smaller than those of the male
turtles in the Switchbacks area. A smaller home range is a characteristic that multiple studies,
including Iglays and Hesters, suggest is an indication of increased habitat fragmentation and a
decreased habitat area.

Home Range Size:

In our study of the behavior and movement of box turtles on the Lovett campus, home
range sizes for both female and male turtles were relatively close to each other in size. Although
very close in size, female box turtles, on average, had a larger home range than male turtles in
our study, as seen in Table 7. The average of all home range sizes seen in Table 8, which shows
average home range size by valley, is 0.7378 acres. In a study in Eastern Tennessee lead by
Bridget M. Donaldson and Arthur C. Echternacht, the average home range size of their box turtle
population ranged from 1.39 to 3.02 hectares, or approximately 3.44 to 7.46 acres, via two
different methods of calculation (Donaldson and Echternacht 280). These home ranges differ
greatly from those of the box turtles studied at Lovett. This is most likely due to the higher
amount of fragmentation in the valleys at Lovett. The Eastern Tennessee study was conducted in
Loudon County, Tennessee almost 32 miles away from Knoxville, in a wooded area (Donaldson
and Echternacht 278). This unfragmented habitat allows for the turtles to travel and expand their
home ranges without human threat or interference.
As seen in Table 8, The largest average home range was found in male turtles in the
Switchbacks valley with an average size of 1.435, and the smallest average home range size
determined in our study was for both female and male box turtles in Denny Valley. This can be
attributed to the location of these valleys. The switchbacks are located in the forested area on
campus, further away from parking lots and roads than many of the other valleys on campus,
which may allowed these turtles to expand their home ranges without running into human
interference. Denny Valley, however, is located near a sports field, where the grass is regularly
cut and people are often using and changing, which may limit how far these box turtles may able
to travel. The effects of fragmentation on home range size is also discussed in a study of box
turtles in New Castle County Delaware. The researchers, Nathan H. Nazdrowicz, Jacob L.
Bowman, and Roland R. Roth, noted that low population density and an unbalanced sex ratio in
their study may be a result of habitat fragmentation (Nazdrowicz 751).

Effects of Repatriation/Relocation:

After this study began in 2005, a new baseball/softball complex was built in 2009, greatly
impacting the habitat and home ranges of many turtles in the area. While 16 box turtles (7 male 9
female) were rescued and repatriated, 7 of these repatriated box turtles have not been found. In a
North Carolina study analyzing the effects of relocation on Eastern Box Turtle home ranges and
movement, researchers found that relocated turtles experienced higher mortality and
disappearance rates compared to resident turtles, which showed similarities to our own data
(Hester 775). These relocated turtles in their study had larger home ranges, most likely due to
unfamiliarity and trying to find a suitable environment with necessary resources. The increased
movement and home range of relocated turtles compared to resident turtles resulted in them
encountering more threats from urbanization, such as roads and pets. Similarly, we can infer that
the addition of the baseball field in 2009 compelled the rescued turtles to adjust to a new, more
fragmented habitat that was subject to more human disturbance, most likely explaining why
around 44% of the rescued population has still not been found.
 In the graphs above, the average home range size of all turtles was much lower than the
average home range size of the rescued turtle population. This data corroborates Hesters study
and corresponds with the trend that rescued and relocated turtles have larger home ranges due to
increased difficulty in finding a suitable environment.
 Literature Cited

Donaldson, Bridget, and Arthur Echternacht. "Aquatic Habitat Use Relative to Home Range

and

Seasonal Movement of Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina: Emydidae) in

Eastern Tennessee." Journal of Herpetology, June 2005, pp. 278-84. JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/4092902. Accessed 4 Dec. 2017.

Hester, Joy, et al. "Effects of Relocation on Movements and Home Ranges of Eastern

Box

Turtles." The Journal of Wildlife Management, vol. 72, Apr. 2008, pp. 772-77.

JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/25097607. Accessed 3 Dec. 2017.

Iglay, Raymond, et al. "Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) Movements in a

Fragmented Landscape." Journal of Herpetology, vol. 41, Mar. 2007, pp. 102-07.

JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4498557. Accessed 4 Dec. 2017.

Nazdrowicz, Nathan, et al. "Population Ecology of the Eastern Box Turtle in a Fragmented

Landscape." The Journal of Wildlife Management, vol. 72, Apr. 2008, pp. 745-53.

JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25097604. Accessed 4 Dec. 2017.