Movements and Habitat Use of Bog Turtles in a Southern Appalachian Bog

Abstract

Habitat loss from human activity and vegetative succession is a major threat to the imperiled Glyptemys muhlenbergii (Bog Turtle). In its southern range, most remaining populations are in open-canopy wetlands with emergent vegetation and a history of livestock grazing. To better understand the natural history of Bog Turtles in an understudied habitat, we studied the movements and habitat use of Bog Turtles in a Castor canadensis (American Beaver)-maintained southern Appalachian bog in North Carolina with no known grazing history and a predominance of shrub/scrub habitat. We tracked 6 adults (4 female, 2 male) using radio telemetry from May to November 2015, calculated daily movement rate and home range, and investigated vegetation and soil components of habitat selection. Our results suggest wetlands with substantial shrub/scrub macrohabitat should be considered potentially suitable Bog Turtle habitat if emergent macrohabitat for nesting and deep, mucky soil are also present. The relative roles of vegetation and soil in habitat selection need further investigation.