The diamondback terrapin has been considered a keystone species along its range in the coastal, brackish estuaries bordering the Atlantic Coast and Gulf of Mexico. Historically, diamondback terrapin populations have been numerous; however, in Alabama; the population has dramatically declined over the past century due to a variety of threats. The threats in Alabama include predation by raccoons, incidental drowning in crab traps, as well as road mitigated mortality. Because of these threats, collaboration efforts between UAB, USA, DISL, and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, a head-start program has been initiated to mitigate the predation of hatchlings. As such, the diamondback terrapin head-start program provides a unique situation to evaluate the biology, ecology, and conservation of hatchling and post-hatchling diamondback terrapin. Studies involving the head-start program include evaluating maternal investment in eggs and offspring, growth patterns of offspring, evaluation of carapace shape as an accurate sexing method for immature terrapin, fitness assays, and feeding assays. By understanding the diamondback terrapin in the lab, we can better benefit their survival in the wild. This thesis includes a series of studies related to the biology and conservation of the diamondback terrapin. Chapter 1 investigates maternal investment in offspring and the impact of incubation temperature on offspring relative to egg size, hatchling size, and growth. Chapter 2 evaluates a potential sexing technique for hatchling and immature terrapin based on carapace morphology, and Chapter 3 examines two aspects of fitness of head-start terrapin (righting response and ability to adapt to a live food source).

Walsh, Thane Wibbels, Will Williams, Roger C. Wood

Successful conservation strategies require thorough understanding of the life history traits and dynamics of the population of interest. Head-starting, captive breeding, and other methods of increasing recruitment and juvenile survivorship are frequently implemented in management plans; however, there is a large body of evidence to suggest that these strategies may not be as effective for long-lived “bet hedging” species. One such species, the diamondback terrapin, experiences a variety of anthropogenic threats, particularly bycatch in Atlantic Blue Crab fisheries, that effect survival at post-hatchling life stages.

The first book-length investigation of a fascinating reptile

The book provides an up-to-date account of mangrove forests from Asia, together with restoration techniques, and the management requirements of these ecosystems to ensure their sustainability and conservation. All aspects of mangroves and their conservation are critically re-examined. The book is divided into three sections presenting the distribution and status of mangrove ecosystems in Asia, the challenges they are facing, their issues and opportunities, and the management strategies for their conservation.

The most comprehensive book ever written on leatherback sea turtles. Weighing as much as 2,000 pounds and reaching lengths of over seven feet, leatherback turtles are the world’s largest reptile. These unusual sea turtles have a thick, pliable shell that helps them to withstand great depths—they can swim more than one thousand meters below the surface in search of food. And what food source sustains these goliaths? Their diet consists almost exclusively of jellyfish, a meal they crisscross the oceans to find. Leatherbacks have been declining in recent decades, and some predict they will be gone by the end of this century. Why? Because of two primary factors: human redevelopment of nesting beaches and commercial fishing. There are only twenty-nine index beaches in the world where these turtles nest, and there is immense pressure to develop most of them into homes or resorts. At the same time, longline and gill net fisheries continue to overwhelm waters frequented by leatherbacks. In The Leatherback Turtle, James R. Spotila and Pilar Santidrián Tomillo bring together the world’s leading experts to produce a volume that reveals the biology of the leatherback while putting a spotlight on the conservation problems and solutions related to the species. The book leaves us with options: embark on the conservation strategy laid out within its pages and save one of nature’s most splendid creations, or watch yet another magnificent species disappear.