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- Title
Longitudinal Structuring of Turtle Assemblages in an Altered River in Central Illinois, USA: Implications for Conservation.
- Authors
Bluett, Robert D.; Louis, Wade E.; Newhouse, Daniel A.; Handel, Jr., Carl J.; Kube, John H.
- Abstract
Longitudinal gradients in stream conditions affect structuring of assemblages of many aquatic organisms. Common patterns include downstream additions of species and shifts in functional groups. We speculated these patterns would be evident in turtle assemblages of the Sangamon River in central Illinois. Using baited hoop nets, we captured 1,060 turtles during 441 trap-nights along a 357-km reach of the river. Number of species captured increased from two in the fourth stream order (Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina; Spiny Softshell, Apalone spinifera) to eight in the seventh. Two generalists (Painted Turtle, Chrysemys picta; Red-eared Slider, Trachemys scripta) became established near an impoundment in the fifth stream order and were encountered regularly thereafter. Two lotic specialists (Smooth Softshell, Apalone mutica; Ouachita Map Turtle, Graptemys ouachitensis) first appeared in lower reaches of the fifth stream order, and another (Northern Map Turtle, Graptemys geographica) in the seventh. Longitudinal structuring calls for basin-wide approaches to conservation because threats such as siltation and pollution can originate in terrestrial settings and accumulate downstream.
- Subjects
SANGAMON River (Ill.); RIVER conservation; ARCHAEOLOGICAL assemblages; SPECIATION analysis; SOFT-shelled turtles; APALONE; MAP turtles
- Publication
Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science, 2013, Vol 106, p47
- ISSN
0019-2252
- Publication type
Article