BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF THE DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN, MALACLEMYS TERRAPIN PILEATA, IN ALABAMA by ANDREW THOMAS COLEMAN THANE WIBBELS, COMMITTEE CHAIR. KEN MARION, DAVID NELSON, WILLEM ROOSENBURG, ROBERT THACKER. A DISSERTATION Submitted to the graduate faculty of The University of Alabama at Birmingham, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMACopyright 2011 by Andrew Thomas Coleman
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<p>BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF THE DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN,
MALACLEMYS TERRAPIN PILEATA, IN ALABAMA
by
ANDREW THOMAS COLEMAN
THANE WIBBELS, COMMITTEE CHAIR
KEN MARION
DAVID NELSON
WILLEM ROOSENBURG
ROBERT THACKER
A DISSERTATION
Submitted to the graduate faculty of The University of Alabama at Birmingham,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
2011
Copyright by
Andrew Thomas Coleman
2011
iii
BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF THE DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN,
MALACLEMYS TERRAPIN PILEATA, IN ALABAMA
ANDREW THOMAS COLEMAN
BIOLOGY
ABSTRACT
The diamondback terrapin is the only obligate estuarine turtle in North America and is
considered an integral member of the salt marsh ecosystem. Unfortunately, many
populations throughout the terrapin’s range have experienced declines due to past
overexploitation and have been unable to rebound due to current threats, including crab
trap mortality, habitat degradation, nest predation, and road mortality. The current study
was the first comprehensive study examining various population and conservation
parameters of Mississippi diamondback terrapins in Alabama. Through various field
survey methods conducted in numerous salt marshes along the Gulf Coast of Alabama, it
was concluded that Cedar Point Marsh supported the largest aggregation of terrapins in
Alabama, and the beach bordering Cedar Point Marsh represented the most important
nesting habitat. However, population estimates indicated a significant size reduction
from historical levels, and crab trap mortality and nest predation were identified as major
threats currently impacting this population. The major population decline in Alabama
was also reflected in the terrapins’ genetic diversity, whose low diversity was similar to
other sampled terrapin populations. By-catch reduction devices were shown to be an
effective