Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci for the three-toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) and cross-amplification in other Terrapene species

We isolated and characterized eight polymorphic microsatellite loci for a Texas population of three-toed box turtle, Terrapene carolina triunguis, using a refined hybridization capture procedure. All eight primer pairs amplified successfully at all loci in seven Texas ornate box turtles (T. ornata ornata). Due to the decline and conservation concerns of North American box turtles, these isolated microsatellites may be a most valuable tool for evaluating baseline population genetic structure for threatened box turtle populations.     

Movements and Habitat Use by the Endangered Australian Freshwater Mary River cod, Maccullochella peelii mariensis

The decline of the endangered Mary River cod, Maccullochella peelii mariensis, of Queensland, Australia, has been attributed to anthropomorphic habitat alterations, however, the relationships between this subspecies and its physical environment are poorly understood. We used radiotelemetry to investigate the movements and use of habitats by nine Mary River cod (total length 420–760mm; weight 1.3–5.5kg) in the Mary River system over a 20 month period. The mean distance moved each month was positively correlated with monthly stream discharge, but the direction of movements was unpredictable. Patterns of movement varied considerably among individuals and appeared to be unrelated to size. Cod established home ranges of between 70 and 820m in length. Five of the tagged cod returned to a previous home range after moving more than 10km, whereas three did not move more than 2km from their capture location for the duration of the study. Cod used large woody debris complexes more than any other type of habitat, and rarely used areas of open water. Managers should give high priority to maintenance of fish passage and protection/rehabilitation of large woody debris habitats if cod populations are to recover.     

Responding to a Variable Environment: Home Range, Foraging Behavior, and Nest Relocation in the Costa Rican Rainforest Ant Aphaenogaster araneoides

We studied how the tropical wet forest ant Aphaenogaster araneoides adjusted its home range and foraging behavior in response to changes in the leaf litter and food environments. We decoupled litter abundance and food availability by creating a factorial treatment design including litter removal and food supplementation. Leaf litter removal caused a decrease in the number of foraging trips but an increase in their duration. Over a 2-week experimental period, about half of the colonies relocated their nests. We found a strong effect of nearest neighbor distance upon the home range areas of colonies after they relocated their nests. In summary, short-term manipulations of resources resulted in changes in home range area and foraging behaviors that differed depending upon nest relocation and the competitive environment.     

Socio-spatial organization of urban stone martens

Stone martens Martes foina are common occupants of urban environments across continental Europe. We predicted that like other 'urban adapters', urban stone martens should exhibit smaller home ranges, more extensive home-range overlap and higher population densities than their rural counterparts. We radio-tracked 13 stone martens (10 females, three males) in two towns in southern Luxembourg during a 2-year period, in order to investigate nocturnal ranging behaviour. All martens maintained stable, year-round territories almost wholly within the urban perimeter of the respective study towns. Socio-spatial organization was based on intra-sexual territoriality. Territories (100% minimum convex polygon) were small in size (males: 112.6±24.8 ha; females: 37.0±22.2 ha) and population densities moderately high (4.7–5.8 adults km⁻²) by comparison with previous studies of rural populations. We conclude that although stone martens are clearly well adapted to urban conditions, urbanization has surprisingly little impact on their socio-spatial organization by comparison with its effects on other mesocarnivores. This apparent inflexibility in the spacing patterns of stone martens lends support to the view that spacing in martens ( Martes spp.) is a predominantly phylogenetic trait that is under limited environmental influence.