Identifying Drivers of Spatial Variation in the Abundance of Painted Turtles at Kenauk
– Lauren Dobie, Dr. Gabriel Blouin-Demers (University of Ottawa)
Determining the drivers of spatial variation in the abundance and distribution of organisms is a key goal in ecology, providing insight into how the environment shapes wildlife populations. Little is known about painted turtle populations at Kenauk, and no studies have assessed the natural drivers of their abundance unrelated to urbanization. The initial objectives of this project were to test whether painted turtle abundance in natural areas is driven by landscape composition and to collect baseline data on Kenauk’s freshwater turtles. We set hoop nets in wetlands across Kenauk and recorded the carapace length and sex of captured turtles. We uniquely marked collected turtles to identify recaptures by filing notches in their marginal scutes.
