Graduation Year
2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.S.
Degree Name
Master of Science (M.S.)
Degree Granting Department
Biology (Integrative Biology)
Major Professor
Earl McCoy, Ph.D.
Co-Major Professor
Henry Mushinsky, Ph.D.
Committee Member
David Lewis, Ph.D.
Keywords
Florida Sand Skink, home range, overlap, orientation analysis, movement patterns
Abstract
Home range and home range overlap information are crucial to create management plans for species of conservation concern. It provides information as to how much land a viable population needs to survive. The South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan highlights the need for home range and movement information for Plestiodon reynoldsi (Florida Sand Skink), a threatened lizard species precinctive to Florida Scrub habitat. We investigated home range sizes, their relationship with SVL and mass, home range overlap, homing behavior, and movement patterns of the Florida Sand Skink (FSS) and over a three-year period in the Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge. The average home range, using minimum convex polygon, was 219 square meters. SVL had no relationship to home range size. Mass had a weak negative effect on home range size, but it is questionable if this relationship is biologically significant. Home range overlap was prevalent in the species and ranged from 0-100% overlap. The Rayleigh test, used to test for orientation upon release, showed no homing behavior in the FSS. The longest movement was 144 meters, but the average natural movement was 12.1 meters. This study shows that even small parcels of scrub habitat can support viable populations of the FSS, because of its extensive home range overlap and small home range size.
Scholar Commons Citation
Wieczorek, Paul II, "Home Range Area, Overlap, Homing Behavior and Movement Patterns in Plestiodon reynoldisi" (2021). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/9260
