Can Turtle Mortality be Reduced in Managed Fields?

Early-successional habitats, including agricultural fields, appear to provide important foraging and nesting resource areas for Glyptemys insculpta (Wood Turtle) and Terrapene Carolina Carolina (Eastern Box Turtle) in the northeastern US. Mowing and agricultural activities can elevate turtle mortali...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Northeastern naturalist 2011-12, Vol.18 (4), p.489-496
Main Authors: Erb, Lori, Jones, Michael T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture
Environmental protection
Experiments
Farm tractors
Habitat conservation
Mortality
Mowing
Mulching
Reptiles & amphibians
Sickles
Terrapene carolina carolina
Tires
Turtles
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife ecology
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Summary:Early-successional habitats, including agricultural fields, appear to provide important foraging and nesting resource areas for Glyptemys insculpta (Wood Turtle) and Terrapene Carolina Carolina (Eastern Box Turtle) in the northeastern US. Mowing and agricultural activities can elevate turtle mortality rates. We performed two experiments to evaluate the risk of turtle mortality associated with 1) style of mower, 2) mower blade height, and 3) tractor tires. Mower blade height did not affect mortality rates when set to ≤15 cm. Different types of mowers appear to exert differential effects on mortality, with sickle bar mowers resulting in 50% lower mortality rates than rotary mowers and other models. However, mortality due to crushing by tractor tires may be as high as 46%, independent of blade type and height.
ISSN:1092-6194
1938-5307
DOI:10.1656/045.018.0406