Excluding mammalian predators from diamondback terrapin nesting beaches with an electric fence


Autoria(s): Bennett, Curtis; Chaudhry, Sona; Clemens, Marjorie; Gilmer, Lacy; Lee, Samantha; Parker, Thomas; Peterson, Emily; Rajkowski, Jessica; Shih, Karen; Subramaniam, Sasika; Wells, Rachel; White, Jessica
Contribuinte(s)

Adams, Lowell

Data(s)

15/05/2009

15/05/2009

01/05/2009

Resumo

Gemstone Team Saving Testudo

Over the past century, diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) populations in the Chesapeake Bay region of the United States have declined from their historic abundance. One factor contributing to the decline is increased predation on terrapin nests by raccoons (Procyon lotor) and foxes (Vulpes vulpes and Urocyon cinereoargenteus). We studied the use of electric fences to deter these predators from nesting beaches along the lower Patuxent River, Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties, Maryland. Over the two-year study, the predation rate within treatment (fenced) plots was 40% (4 of 10 nests) compared to 69% (20 of 29 nests) in control plots. We believe that electric fences have potential as a conservation technique for reducing mammalian predation on diamondback terrapin nests.

Formato

3222126 bytes

application/pdf

Identificador

http://hdl.handle.net/1903/9074

Idioma(s)

en_US

Relação

Digital Repository at the University of Maryland

Gemstone Program, University of Maryland (College Park, Md)

Palavras-Chave #Chesapeake Bay #diamondback terrapin #electric fences #predation #Gemstone Team Saving Testudo
Tipo

Thesis