BIODIVERSITY OF THE FRESHWATER TURTLE COMMUNITY IN THE WEEKS BAY WATERSHED.BIODIVERSITY OF THE FRESHWATER TURTLE COMMUNITY IN THE WEEKS BAY WATERSHED. Krista K. van Amerongen and David H. Nelson, Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. , Mobile, AL 36688. Adjacent to the Mobile Bay, the Weeks Bay estuary provides a rich variety of aquatic habitats for resident turtle species. This project concentrates on assessing the biodiversity of the freshwater turtle community and estimating the relative densities of each species. Trapping extended from May 28 to September 25 (1999) and from March 1 to August 4 (2000). Turtles were collected using 8 sets of aquatic hoop traps. Captured turtles were identified to species, sexed, and weighed; seven different shell measurements were also recorded. Turtles were marked by drilling a pattern of holes in the marginal scutes of the carapace carapace (kâr`əpās), shield, or shell covering, found over all or part of the anterior dorsal portion of an animal. In lobsters, shrimps, crayfish, and crabs, the carapace is the part of the exoskeleton that covers the head and thorax . Each turtle received a unique number that allowed identification upon recapture. There were a total of 1021 turtles captured, with Pseudemys concinna Noun 1. Pseudemys concinna - large river turtle of the southern United States and northern Mexico cooter, river cooter turtle - any of various aquatic and land reptiles having a bony shell and flipper-like limbs for swimming (River cooters) accounting for 58% of the community. Pseudemys floridana The Peninsula Cooter, also called Florida River Cooter (Pseudemys peninsularis) is a species of the genus Pseudemys. In scientific articles it is sometimes referred to as Pseudemys floridana. (Florida cooters) made up 17%, and the endangered Pseudemys alabamensis (Alabama redhelly turtles) made up 20% of the community. The remaining 5% consisted of Deirochelys r eticularia (Chicken turtles), Apalone spinifera (Spiny softshell turtles), Chelydra serpentina (Common snapping turtles), and Macroclemmys temminickii (Alligator alligator, large aquatic reptile of the genus Alligator, in the same order as the crocodile. There are two species—a large type found in the S United States and a small type found in E China. Alligators differ from crocodiles in several ways. snapping turtles). A total of 237 turtles representing six different species were recaptured. Three turtle species had significant recapture rates: P. alabamensis (14%), P. concinna (26.5%), and P. floridana (21%). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Noun 1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - an agency in the Department of Commerce that maps the oceans and conserves their living resources; predicts changes to the earth's environment; provides weather reports and forecasts floods and hurricanes and funded this project. |
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