Welcome to the technical sessions schedule for the 2015 SEAFWA Annual Meeting.
NEW THIS YEAR! The technical schedule is capable of being sorted by date (i.e, Monday, Nov. 2), track (i.e. Wildlife Technical Sessions), or session (i.e. Wildlife Session #1). You can also search for a presentation title (i.e. Changing Landscapes by Coalition), key term (i.e. striped bass), or presenter last name (i.e. Weaver). The sort and search functions can be found on the navigation panel on the right side of this page. If you hover over the "Schedule" button, you’ll also see different schedule view options (i.e. Grid or Simple). Try selecting each of them to see which view you prefer.
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Bryan L. Nuse, Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Georgia; Jeffrey Hepinstall-Cymerman, University of Georgia; Clinton T. Moore, U.S. Geological Society, Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Georgia; Matt Elliott, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Functional connectivity between animal populations can be difficult to assess, especially for long-lived species. However, understanding connectivity is critical to conservation strategy, because the degree of connectivity among patches determines whether metapopulation principles should be applied. The gopher tortoise is a keystone species in fire-dependent pine forests of the southeastern USA, and is a candidate for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act in the eastern part of its range. Tortoises may live as long as 6-10 decades, and generally maintain fairly small home ranges (< 1 to a few hectares). Consequently only a few long-term population studies have been performed. Several of these have reported infrequent long-distance movements (1-2 kilometers), however. We developed a Bayesian population model that uses recently acquired survey data, published demographic and movement rates, and habitat attributes to predict two features of gopher tortoise populations: density, and the potential for a patch to export individuals. The Bayesian modeling framework allows incorporation of various hypotheses regarding unknown population processes, such as fecundity. We use our model in combination with a movement resistance map to identify complexes of habitat patches that may be functionally connected, and within which metapopulation processes may be expected to operate. This information is being used as part of a larger tortoise conservation planning tool that will guide land protection actions by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
