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The
Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene c. carolina) as a Dispersal Vector of Seeds
and Spores in Central Illinois
William J. Jordan IV and
Scott J. Meiners
Department of Biological Sciences, Eastern Illinois University
Introduction
The ability of plants to persist in highly fragmented landscapes
depends critically on the dispersal of seeds into suitable habitats. Dispersal
can affect invasion dynamics, population genetic structure and vegetation
response to future climate change. Very little information exists on the
dispersal of seeds by naturally occurring populations of turtles. Many
documented examples of such mechanisms are limited to only a few anecdotal
reports and laboratory experiments. An inadequate amount of information
exists on the dispersal of spores by vertebrates, let alone turtles. Most
research has focused on a number of small mammalian and avian taxa.
Objectives
To quantify the amount of seeds Eastern Box Turtles disperse.
To quantify the amount of spores Eastern Box Turtles disperse.
To analyze the temporal pattern of dispersal events.
Methods
Eastern Box Turtles were captured through visual location in woodlands, grasslands
and along roadsides from April 2003 to September 2003. Turtles were held in
plastic containers until a fecal sample was generated or three days had passed
without producing a sample. Samples were then dried in an oven at 28°C until completely dehydrated. Seeds were then removed and counted using a
dissecting microscope. Spores were counted using serial dilutions of fecal
material and a haemocytometer counting camber.
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