As a biologist, I sometimes get to do some really cool things. This spring, I was invited to help out with the longest ongoing Eastern box turtle study being conducted in the United States. I eagerly accepted and even altered my vacation plans a bit so I could participate.
This study has been ongoing for more than 7 years and is being conducted by the Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization out of Clinton, Tennessee. This organization is run by a friend of mine who saw the importance of involving young people in science and hands-on research.
John Byrd and his students have taken a unique approach by documenting and creating brochures and websites on the plants and animals specific to Anderson County, TN. They also have ongoing projects concerning wetlands, kingsnakes, galls, and small mammals. It is amazing what he and his students have accomplished! If you are a teacher, it is certainly inspirational. You can find out more at the CRESO website.
John Byrd and his students at the Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization (CRESO) have been studying Eastern box turtles at this site since 2006.
The study site for the Eastern box turtle project was originally chosen to help determine how things like development and deforestation were taking a toll, if any on the box turtle population in the area. Several sites were chosen, one nearby a newly erected housing development, one along an undeveloped, steep wooded ridge and one in a clear cut. The clear cut was also sampled before any logging began.
I had seen presentations by John’s students about the box turtle study at previous Tennessee Herpetological Society meetings and was very excited to be involved. This project is unique in so many ways, not the least of which is the ‘turtle’ dogs. Yes, I said turtle dogs!
These dogs are specially trained Boykin Spaniels that will locate and gently retrieve turtles. It was a pleasure to get to meet the 7-dog turtle team and their handler/trainer John Rucker.
Thursday morning found us at the study site at 9:00 am. The team consisted of John Byrd and 3 CRESO student assistants, a graduate student from UT-Knoxville, John Rucker and the turtle dogs, veterinarian Dr. Matt Allender from the University of Illinois with his two student assistants, and myself.
The turtle dogs are excited to be released and allowed to go out on the hunt for box turtles.
Once found, the spot where each turtle is located is marked with survey tape, and the gps coordinates are taken. Temperature, weather conditions and notes on the turtles position and location are also noted. Each box turtle is wrapped with masking tape and labeled with a unique ID for the day. The box turtles are kept separate from one another and placed in individually labeled vinyl bags.
So once an area has been searched, the box turtles are brought back to the staging area for basic measurements (shell length, height and width, weight, estimated age and sex) and data collection. If they are re-captures that is noted, if they are new captures then they get assigned a number that is gently engraved into their plastron (lower shell) with a special tool.
Blood samples are collected to help determine the health of the turtle and to check for diseases.
Once all the turtles have been worked up, the vet team returns to the lab to conduct some preliminary tests and preserve the samples for some in-depth tests back at the research hospital. Some of the turtle team remains to return each box turtle to the exact location where found. This is very important as box turtles are extremely loyal to their home ranges.
On day three at the clearcut site, 3 box turtles were collected to be taken back to the lab for the attachment of transmitters. One of the CRESO students is working on a radio telemetry project tracking box turtles at that site. While it is termed a clearcut, there is much debris and tree limbs left on the ground that may act as barriers preventing decreased movement of the box turtles. With the data collected, CRESO researchers are developing a set of recommendations that may enhance turtle survival under regeneration timber harvest conditions.
John Byrd measures the shell height and adds that to the data sheet before gluing a transmitter on the shell of this handsome box turtle.
The lightweight transmitter is glued to the turtle’s shell using superglue. Once the glue dries the masking tape is removed and the turtle is released back to the location where it it was found.
In recent years, like many taxa, we have seen the emergence of new diseases in box turtles. One of the goals of this study is to determine what diseases are present and how human induced pressures are affecting the spread and incidence of disease. One infectious agent that has been increasingly reported to affect turtles is Ranavirus. Ranavirus has been found to infect turtles worldwide and is also severely affecting amphibians.
A species of Mycoplasma is another concern as it often causes upper respiratory tract disease. Another disease that is causing problems in turtles is herpesvirus. Dr. Allender and his team will be testing the valuable collection of 50 box turtle blood samples collected during the study for all of these diseases and an additional disease. He is also testing for the bacteria Samonella. This disease in a turtle population can be an indicator that all is not well in the environment for humans too. If the turtles are contracting this disease, then it is likely from the local water sources. And what affects the turtles, can also affect people living in the same area.
It will be a little while before we know the results from the lab tests, but it was obvious to me that this is one project where young students, dogs and researchers are working together to make a difference for an animal and the humans that love them! It was a privilege to work with all of these people and the amazing, lovable turtle dogs. I look forward to the next time. Well done turtle team!
