Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Publication
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Maternal Effects And Offspring Behavior: Potential Contributors To The Lack Of Recruitment In Mississippi Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus Polyphemus), Aaron L. Holbrook
Maternal Effects And Offspring Behavior: Potential Contributors To The Lack Of Recruitment In Mississippi Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus Polyphemus), Aaron L. Holbrook
Master's Theses
Federally threatened in Mississippi, gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations within the state have strongly variable recruitment and are generally in decline. Hatching success is significantly lower in Mississippi than in any other part of the species’ range , and most hatchlings die within the first year. There are few refuges where survival and hatching success is high. Here I compare two populations that differ in recruitment and offspring survival for differences in corticosterone. Corticosterone is a hormone that influences both energy availability and is released in elevated levels during stressful events, like living in poor quality habitat. Prolonged corticosterone elevation …
Population Genetics And Microbial Communities Of The Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus), Daniel Lyle Gaillard
Population Genetics And Microbial Communities Of The Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus Polyphemus), Daniel Lyle Gaillard
Dissertations
The gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, is an endangered species living in the southeastern United States. The recent and drastic decline in tortoise numbers has resulted in a multi-faceted approach to conserve this species. I used a population genetic approach to determine the population structure, genetic diversity and barriers to gene flow at a broad, regional and local scale. Tortoises are divided into five distinct genetic populations at the broad scale, the central populations have the highest levels of genetic diversity and the Tombigbee, Mobile, Apalachicola, Suwannee and St. John’s Rivers appear to be barriers to gene flow. At the regional …