Geology topics

Daniel J. Catizone

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel J. Catizone.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2025

Diamondback terrapin resource use in a seagrass-dominated coastal bay varies by life stage

Diamondback terrapins, hereafter referred to as terrapins, are the only estuarine turtle species native to North America. However, terrapins are also occasionally found in marine habitats, such as seagrass beds, and yet little is known about how they use those marine habitats. We sampled epidermis from terrapins ( Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota ) inhabiting a seagrass-dominated coastal bay in Northwest Florida and compared resource use among terrapin sexes and life-history stages using the isotopic niche and mixing models. Terrapins were generalist foragers, and their diets varied by sex and life stage, as has been reported elsewhere. Basal resource mixing models indicated the terrapin food web was based primarily on Thalassia testudinum for adult females (50.0%) and Spartina alterniflora for adult males (49.7%) and juvenile females (42.2%). Dietary mixing models indicated the adult female diet included a relatively high proportion of Thalassia testudinum (31.3%), suggesting a strong reliance on seagrass dominated prey and not necessarily large consumption of seagrass, followed by lower proportions of gastropods (26.6%) and crustaceans (19.1%). Primary diet items for juvenile females and adult males included relatively equal proportions of echinoderms, gastropods, crustaceans, ascidians, and porifera. Body and head size of terrapins may drive differences in diet, as interpreted from mixing model results. Although mangroves are expanding their range northward along the Gulf of America coast and have become established at our study site, it does not appear that terrapins are foraging within these newly established mangrove forests. Finally, the terrapin niche, particularly for adult females, may overlap with the sea turtle niche in seagrass-dominated bays. Whether sea turtles impact terrapin populations, including through direct predation, is unknown.

Florida↗

USGS2024

Demographics of a previously undocumented diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) population

Coastal habitats are some of the most imperiled due to climate change and anthropogenic activities. As such, it is important to understand population dynamics of the species that may play a role in regulating coastal systems. Diamondback terrapins in Northwest Florida have been understudied, which has resulted in a gap in our knowledge for this region. To help fill this gap, we conducted a capture-mark-recapture study in St. Joseph Bay, Florida, from 2018 to 2021. Overall, we captured 518 individuals, including 146 recaptures, and we used several modeling frameworks to estimate apparent survival, recapture probability, population entrance, and population size. Our estimates of apparent survival were relatively low, especially for adult males (0.77) and adult females (0.83), but there is a considerable amount of uncertainty around our estimates. Our models indicated that the super-population consists of 1122 individuals (971–1327 95% CI), and the population is comprised of more adult males (753; 665–866 95% CI) than adult females (102; 85–130 95% CI) and juveniles (267; 221–331 95% CI). Estimates of population entrance varied by year throughout our study duration. This study is the first to document a Malaclemys terrapin population in this region of Florida, and we recommend long-term monitoring in order to gain inferences for the management of this declining coastal species.

Florida↗

USGS2023

Satellite telemetry reveals space use of diamondback terrapins

Movement and space use information of exploited and imperiled coastal species is critical to management and conservation actions. While satellite telemetry has been successfully used to document movements of marine turtles, the large tag sizes available have limited use on smaller turtle species. We used small Argos-based satellite tags to document movement patterns of diamondback terrapins ( Malaclemys terrapin ), the only estuarine turtle species in North America. Movement data from ten terrapins in St. Joseph Bay, Florida were gathered between July 13, 2018 and July 22, 2021. We estimated seasonal space use using the daily locations generated from a Bayesian hierarchical state-space model to calculate minimum convex polygons (95% MCP) and kernel density estimates (50% and 95% KDE). Mean tracking duration was 125 days and mean home range size was 9.4 km 2 (95% MCP) and 8.1 km 2 (95% KDE). Seagrass habitat comprised 55.8% of all home ranges on average, whereas salt marsh comprised a mean of 3.0%. Mean elevation used by terrapins was − 0.13 m (95% MCP) and -0.35 m (95% KDE). Satellite telemetry provided broad-scale spatiotemporal movement and space use data; however, Argos error produced considerable noise relative to true terrapin movements given their size, speed, and behavior. Terrapin home ranges were greater than previously reported and three of the ten terrapins exhibited repeated long-distance, directed movements within the bay. Small patches of salt marsh habitat were centralized within home ranges, despite comprising only a small percentage for each terrapin. Moreover, the percentage of salt marsh present in each core use area was positively correlated with terrapin mass. Although considered an estuarine species, seagrass habitat comprised a large portion of terrapin home ranges; however, our data did not provide the detail necessary to understand how terrapins were using this habitat. As northward-expanding mangroves continue to infringe upon salt marsh habitat, there is potential for negative impacts to terrapin populations across the northern Gulf of Mexico. As salt marsh habitat continues to be infringed upon by northward-expanding mangroves impacts to terrapins across the northern Gulf of Mexico.

Florida↗

USGS2021

Home ranges and movements of two diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin macrospilota) in northwest Florida

The diamondback terrapin ( Malaclemys terrapin ) is a small estuarine turtle distributed along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the USA that is threatened by drowning in crab pots, road mortality, exploitation in the pet trade, and habitat loss. Little is known about the movement patterns and home ranges of these turtles, particularly along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast. Satellite tags were deployed on two adult female terrapins captured at two distinct sites in Northwest Florida. A first-difference correlated random walk approach was used to determine distances traveled and estimate home range for each individual. The two terrapins were tracked for 146 and 147 days, and the total distance traveled for each terrapin was 70.1 km and 723.0 km, respectively. The maximum distance moved from capture location was 11.3 km and 49.6 km. Home ranges here were much larger than those previously reported in other studies. The movements we documented were greater than expected and indicate habitat protection for this species may need to be expanded to incorporate more distant foraging sites.

Florida↗

USGS2021

Movements of marine and estuarine turtles during Hurricane Michael

Natural disturbances are an important driver of population dynamics. Because it is difficult to observe wildlife during these events, our understanding of the strategies that species use to survive these disturbances is limited. On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael made landfall on Florida’s northwest coast. Using satellite and acoustic telemetry, we documented movements of 6 individual turtles: one loggerhead sea turtle, one Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, three green sea turtles and one diamondback terrapin, in a coastal bay located less than 30 km from hurricane landfall. Post-storm survival was confirmed for all but the Kemp’s ridley; the final condition of that individual remains unknown. No obvious movements were observed for the remaining turtles however the loggerhead used a larger home range in the week after the storm. This study highlights the resiliency of turtles in response to extreme weather conditions. However, long-term impacts to these species from habitat changes post-hurricane are unknown.

Florida↗

USGS2021

Coastal observations of alligator snapping turtles in the Florida Panhandle

The genus Macrochelys (alligator snapping turtles) inhabits river systems that empty into the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas and contains the largest freshwater turtles in North America (Pritchard 2006). This paper details observations of Macrochelys on the coast and barrier islands in Franklin and Gulf counties, Florida, that contribute to our knowledge of their movements in brackish or saltwater ecosystems and occurrence on islands. Thomas et al. (2014) described turtles from this geographical area as a new species, Apalachicola alligator snapping turtle ( M. apalachicolae ), but Folt and Guyer (2015) disputed this designation, and many authorities still consider them to be alligator snapping turtles ( M. temminckii ; e.g., Crother 2017, Turtle Taxonomy Working Group 2017).

Florida Field Naturalist↗

USGS2020

Malaclemys terrapin (Diamondback terrapin) Lepadomorph epibionts

Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) are distributed along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico (GoM) coasts of the U.S.A. (Hart et al. 2014. Conserv. Genet. DOI 10.1007/s10592-014-0563-6). Under consideration for listing in Florida and proposed for Appendix II listing by the U.S. at CoP16 (CITES), terrapin populations are declining in many parts of their range due to drowning in crab pots, road mortality, exploitation by the pet trade and habitat loss. The species has been divided into seven subspecies based on morphometric and geographic variations: M.t. terrapin, M.t. centrata, M.t. tequesta, M.t. rhizophorarum, M.t. macrospilota, M.t. pileata, and M.t. littoralis. (Ernst and Lovich 2009). Terrapins in the northern GoM are comprised primarily of the Mississippi (M.t. pileata) and ornate subspecies (M.t. macrospilota) which inhabit salt marshes across the region from approximately the Texas/Louisiana border to Naples, Florida.

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas↗