Abstract
Abstract The recent invasion of Dasypus novemcinctus (nine-banded armadillo) into the southeastern United States has brought it into contact with a native burrowing chelonian, Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise), whose burrows it usurps. Because the Gopher Tortoise is listed as vulnerable by IUCN (1996), baseline data on burrows of armadillos might improve our understanding of the impact of this introduced mammal on this reptile. Armadillo burrows were counted in a stratified random sample of 4 major habitats at Avon Park Air Force Range, FL. Data on spatial distributions of the burrows in all habitats fit the negative binomial distribution, indicating clumping. Burrow density in pine habitats was more than twice that of oak hammock, sand pine, or oak scrub. Likelihood-ratio tests combined with Akaike's Information Criteria showed that the best model was one in which the dispersion parameter (k) did not vary but the parameter for the arithmetic mean (m) did.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
