Home range and habitat selection of the endangered euphrates softshell turtle Rafetus euphraticus in a fragmented habitat in southwestern Iran

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Hanyeh Ghaffari - , Islamic Azad University (Author)
  • Flora Ihlow - , Research Museum Alexander Koenig - Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity (Author)
  • Michael V. Plummer - , Harding University (Author)
  • Mahmood Karami - , Islamic Azad University (Author)
  • Nematollah Khorasani - , Islamic Azad University (Author)
  • Barbod Safaei-Mahroo - , Islamic Azad University (Author)
  • Dennis Rödder - , Research Museum Alexander Koenig - Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity (Author)

Abstract

We present information on movement patterns and habitat selection of the endangered Euphrates softshell turtle Rafetus euphraticus (Daudin 1802) from Karkheh Regulating Dam Lake in southwestern Iran. Twelve adult turtles were trapped, fitted with radio-tracking transmitters, and relocated 21 to 51 times between May 2011 and July 2012. The mean linear range size was 2.54 ± 0.83 km, the mean river channel area was 55.35 ± 17.98 ha, the mean minimum convex polygon (MCP) size was 47.49 ± 23.36 ha, and the mean 95% kernel density estimator (KDE 95%) measured 21.75 ± 9.44 ha with a core area (KDE 50 %) of 5.74 ± 2.87 ha. Range overlap was generally high; on average, individual MCPs overlapped with those of 7.5 other turtles, individual KDEs with those of 7.3 other turtles, and core areas with those of 5.5 other turtles. Selection of habitat types was not proportional to availability. Study animals preferred shallow-water edge habitats covered with Phragmites australis over all other habitat types.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)202-215
Number of pages14
Journal Chelonian conservation and biology : international journal of turtle and tortoise research
Volume13
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2014
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • Fixed kernel density estimator, Habitat selection, Khuzestan Province, Linear home range, Minimum convex polygon, Radio-tracking