Date of Award
3-3-2014
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Biology, MS
First Advisor
Stan Trauth
Committee Members
Dennis Morris; Travis Marsico
Call Number
LD 251 .A566t 2013 K32
Abstract
Commercial turtle harvesting, fueling the Asian turtle market, has led to the rapid decline of turtle populations worldwide. I investigated the effects of the domestic turtle trade on the carapace length (CL) of aquatic turtles in Arkansas between 2011-2012, hypothesizing that smaller CL might be found among turtle populations in areas with high harvest pressure. I conducted a two-year mark recapture study throughout three rivers in Northeast Arkansas. Study locations were marked as low, moderate, and high harvest pressure. Male and female red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta) collected from low harvest sites were 2.2 cm and 1.9 cm larger than turtles captured from highly harvested counties. Female spiny softshells (Apalone spinifera) from moderate sites were 5.0 cm larger than females from high harvest sites. Other aquatic turtle species were not captured in large enough numbers to compare body size between sites. Half of the turtles harvested in Arkansas came from only five counties. Most high harvest counties were in Northeast Arkansas, which might perpetuate the impact on turtle body size at these locations. Further long-term population studies must be conducted in order to fully assess the influence of overexploitation on aquatic turtle populations.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Kelly, John Joseph, "Assessing Commercial Harvesting Pressure on Aquatic Turtles of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain of Northeast Arkansas" (2014). Student Theses and Dissertations. 756.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/756
