| Declines in populations of species at risk have been documented despite land protection. The conservation of species and ecosystems requires a more thorough understanding of their biology for the creation of effective protection guidelines. I studied the spatial, feeding, and reproductive ecology of a population of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) near Lake Huron, Ontario from April 2007 to May 2009. Macrohabitat selection was determined at two spatial (selection from home range and population range) and temporal (season and year) scales using compositional analysis. Habitat selection differed based on the scale (spatial and temporal), but overall individuals selected for open-canopy, shallow, and vegetated wetlands. Microhabitat use was assessed during three activity periods (emergence, nesting, and post-nesting) and no seasonal differences were found in water depth, distance to water, amount of cover, or availability of basking sites. Females choose sites with higher amounts of cover compared to males during the nesting and post-nesting seasons. Overwintering turtles chose cold habitats (∼O°C) and had access to oxygen. The most common prey items ingested by Spotted Turtles were macroinvertebrates and carrion, with no evidence for ingesting vegetation. Individuals were found foraging in water as cold as 7°C. Finally, maternal investment into offspring and nest site were determined at two scales (investment in clutch and investment by female over two years). Larger females produced wider eggs, but females in better condition produced more eggs by reproducing more frequently. Hatchling fitness was assessed using righting response as a proxy. Neither hatchling size nor body condition explained differences in righting response. Hatchlings incubated in soil nests initiated righting more quickly than hatchlings incubated in either sphagnum or gravel nests, indicating that nest conditions may be more important to hatchling phenotype than egg size or maternal size. |
