Title

Sample Grain Influences the Functional Relationship Between Canopy Cover and Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Burrow Abandonment

Authors

Authors

C. P. Catano; J. J. Angelo;I. J. Stout

Comments

Authors: contact us about adding a copy of your work at STARS@ucf.edu

Abbreviated Journal Title

Chelonian Conserv. Biol.

Keywords

Akaike Information Criterion; lidar remote sensing; logistic regression; longleaf pine savanna; sandhill habitat; spatial scale; species-habitat; management; FLORIDA SANDHILL; HABITAT; LIDAR; POPULATION; MOVEMENT; PATTERNS; MANAGEMENT; VEGETATION; ABUNDANCE; ECOSYSTEM; Zoology

Abstract

Change in vegetation structure alters habitat suitability for the threatened gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). An understanding of this dynamic is crucial to inform habitat and tortoise management strategies. However, it is not known how the choice of the sample grain (i.e., cell size) at which vegetation structure is measured impacts estimates of tortoise-habitat relationships. We used lidar remote sensing to estimate canopy cover around 1573 gopher tortoise burrows at incrementally larger sample grains (1-707 m(2)) in 450 ha of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savanna. Using an information theoretic approach, we demonstrate that the choice of grain size profoundly influences modeled relationships between canopy cover and burrow abandonment. At the most supported grain size (314 m(2)), the probability of burrow abandonment increased by 1.7% with each percent increase in canopy cover. Ultimately, detecting the appropriate sample grain can lead to more effective development of functional relationships and improve predictive models to manage gopher tortoise habitats.

Journal Title

Chelonian Conservation and Biology

Volume

13

Issue/Number

2

Publication Date

1-1-2014

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

166

Last Page

172

WOS Identifier

WOS:000346132000005

ISSN

1071-8443

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