Vegetation cover, topography, and low-traffic roads influence Sonoran desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) movement and habitat selection.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Anthropogenic activities occurring throughout the Sonoran Desert are replacing and fragmenting habitat and reducing landscape connectivity for the Sonoran desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai). Understanding how the structure of the landscape influences tortoise habitat use and movement can help develop strategies for mitigating the impacts of these landscape alterations, which are conservation actions needed to support the species' long-term persistence. However, how natural and anthropogenic features influence fine-scale habitat use and movement of Sonoran desert tortoises remains unclear.

Methods

The goals of this study were to (1) understand how characteristics of the landscape shape tortoise habitat use and movement in order to (2) identify factors that may red

SUBMITTER: Sutor S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11443766 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature