Big and Fast: GPS Loggers Reveal Long-Range Movements in a Large, Riverine Turtle
Rio Grande Cooters (<i>Pseudemys gorzugi</i>) occupy the Rio Grande watershed and have among the smallest ranges of all North American freshwater turtles. Anthropogenic dewatering is considered to have caused range contractions and population declines. We sought to facilitate management...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Conservation |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/5/1/6 |
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| author | Shashwat Sirsi Andrew R. MacLaren Daniel H. Foley Austin M. A. Bohannon Jonathan P. Rose Brian J. Halstead Michael R. J. Forstner |
| author_facet | Shashwat Sirsi Andrew R. MacLaren Daniel H. Foley Austin M. A. Bohannon Jonathan P. Rose Brian J. Halstead Michael R. J. Forstner |
| author_sort | Shashwat Sirsi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rio Grande Cooters (<i>Pseudemys gorzugi</i>) occupy the Rio Grande watershed and have among the smallest ranges of all North American freshwater turtles. Anthropogenic dewatering is considered to have caused range contractions and population declines. We sought to facilitate management recommendations by determining the extent of movement and potential associations with extrinsic cues. We conducted a GPS-enabled telemetry study from August 2015 to May 2017 on the Devils River in Texas, USA. We included Capture–Mark–Recapture data from 2011, 2014, and 2015–2018 to determine population status in conjunction with movement ecology. Turtles showed increased movement as streamflow and water depth increased. Larger movements were also made mid-year, coincident with the peak nesting season. We speculate that seasonality and increases in streamflow facilitate switches from slower, localized movement to transiting modes. We observed individual heterogeneity in transitory movements. Such movements led us to maintain our population estimate of 726 to 1219 individuals is representative of the entire Devils River. The extent of movement in <i>P. gorzugi</i> has been previously underestimated and long-range movements could explain observed genetic structure. Future efforts to re-establish natural flow regimes in the Rio Grande basin could potentially be the most effective management approach for this range-restricted chelonian. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e86c011bd4794896af7f05326f7d96c0 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-7159 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation |
| spelling | doaj-art-e86c011bd4794896af7f05326f7d96c02025-08-20T02:11:04ZengMDPI AGConservation2673-71592025-02-0151610.3390/conservation5010006Big and Fast: GPS Loggers Reveal Long-Range Movements in a Large, Riverine TurtleShashwat Sirsi0Andrew R. MacLaren1Daniel H. Foley2Austin M. A. Bohannon3Jonathan P. Rose4Brian J. Halstead5Michael R. J. Forstner6Department of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr, San Marcos, TX 78666, USACambrian Environmental, 4422 Pack Saddle Pass #204, Austin, TX 78745, USADepartment of Natural and Behavioral Sciences, Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College, 205 Wildcat Drive, Del Rio, TX 78840, USATexas Parks and Wildlife Department, Wildlife Division, 109 South Cockrell Street, Alpine, TX 79830, USAU.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Dr, Suite D, Dixon, CA 95620, USAU.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Dr, Suite D, Dixon, CA 95620, USADepartment of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr, San Marcos, TX 78666, USARio Grande Cooters (<i>Pseudemys gorzugi</i>) occupy the Rio Grande watershed and have among the smallest ranges of all North American freshwater turtles. Anthropogenic dewatering is considered to have caused range contractions and population declines. We sought to facilitate management recommendations by determining the extent of movement and potential associations with extrinsic cues. We conducted a GPS-enabled telemetry study from August 2015 to May 2017 on the Devils River in Texas, USA. We included Capture–Mark–Recapture data from 2011, 2014, and 2015–2018 to determine population status in conjunction with movement ecology. Turtles showed increased movement as streamflow and water depth increased. Larger movements were also made mid-year, coincident with the peak nesting season. We speculate that seasonality and increases in streamflow facilitate switches from slower, localized movement to transiting modes. We observed individual heterogeneity in transitory movements. Such movements led us to maintain our population estimate of 726 to 1219 individuals is representative of the entire Devils River. The extent of movement in <i>P. gorzugi</i> has been previously underestimated and long-range movements could explain observed genetic structure. Future efforts to re-establish natural flow regimes in the Rio Grande basin could potentially be the most effective management approach for this range-restricted chelonian.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/5/1/6turtlesDevils RiverRio Grande watershedGPS telemetrymovementshome range |
| spellingShingle | Shashwat Sirsi Andrew R. MacLaren Daniel H. Foley Austin M. A. Bohannon Jonathan P. Rose Brian J. Halstead Michael R. J. Forstner Big and Fast: GPS Loggers Reveal Long-Range Movements in a Large, Riverine Turtle Conservation turtles Devils River Rio Grande watershed GPS telemetry movements home range |
| title | Big and Fast: GPS Loggers Reveal Long-Range Movements in a Large, Riverine Turtle |
| title_full | Big and Fast: GPS Loggers Reveal Long-Range Movements in a Large, Riverine Turtle |
| title_fullStr | Big and Fast: GPS Loggers Reveal Long-Range Movements in a Large, Riverine Turtle |
| title_full_unstemmed | Big and Fast: GPS Loggers Reveal Long-Range Movements in a Large, Riverine Turtle |
| title_short | Big and Fast: GPS Loggers Reveal Long-Range Movements in a Large, Riverine Turtle |
| title_sort | big and fast gps loggers reveal long range movements in a large riverine turtle |
| topic | turtles Devils River Rio Grande watershed GPS telemetry movements home range |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7159/5/1/6 |
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