Long-Term Population Dynamics of Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) in a Pine Plantation in Northern Florida

Abstract

Abstract A study was conducted in 2009 to gather information on long-term gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) population dynamics, burrow distribution, and habitat use at Plum Creek/Lochloosa, a pine (Pinus elliottii; Pinus palustris) plantation in northern Florida. Mark–recapture surveys were conducted on this study site during the 1980s, and a follow-up survey was done in 1992. The ca. 66-ha study area is a mosaic of moderately well-drained and poorly drained soils, and it has had a history of clear-cutting and replanting. Recent management activities included a tree thinning in 2008 and a controlled burn in winter 2009. We located gopher tortoise burrows during late April and early May 2009, and captured tortoises in pitfall or wire traps during May–July. Fifty-two tortoises were captured on the study site and 4 others in an adjacent pine plantation across a paved rural road. Seventeen of the tortoises (33%) had been previously marked, including a male marked as a mature adult in 1982. Most (88%) mar...