Cookies Policy
X

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

I accept this policy

Find out more here

Refuge characteristics and preferences of Psammobates oculifer in semi-arid savanna

No metrics data to plot.
The attempt to load metrics for this article has failed.
The attempt to plot a graph for these metrics has failed.
The full text of this article is not currently available.

Brill’s MyBook program is exclusively available on BrillOnline Books and Journals. Students and scholars affiliated with an institution that has purchased a Brill E-Book on the BrillOnline platform automatically have access to the MyBook option for the title(s) acquired by the Library. Brill MyBook is a print-on-demand paperback copy which is sold at a favorably uniform low price.

Access this article

+ Tax (if applicable)
Add to Favorites
You must be logged in to use this functionality

image of Amphibia-Reptilia

The availability of suitable refuges to buffer temperature extremes may be a critical determinant in the distribution of arid-zone ectotherms. We studied refuge selection of Kalahari tent tortoises over five seasons in two vegetation types to assess how seasonal climate change, vegetation type, and the size difference between sexes influence refuge selection. Plant refuges accounted for 78% and mammal burrows for 22% of refuges used. Burrow use did not differ between vegetation types or sexes but its use increased exponentially with maximum temperature, indicating that mammal burrows may be an essential resource to protect small-bodied tortoises against summer heat. Kalahari tent tortoises preferred grass refuges to other growth forms, whether shrubs or grasses were dominant in the habitat. Tall grass was selected in excess of availability, by males and females in both vegetation types, probably because it was denser than short grass and provided better protection against heat and predators. The increased use of short grass refuges in colder months may be linked to thermal needs because this growth form allowed P. oculifer to bask in filtered sunlight whilst being in cover. Females made greater use than males did of short grass refuges, perhaps because their larger size necessitated longer exposure to sunlight. Body size differences also explain why males required wider and denser refuges than females did to protect them against environmental hazards. Our results underscore the complexities of refuge selection by an arid-zone ectotherm and the role it may play in their distribution.

Affiliations: 1: Chelonian Biodiversity and Conservation, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa

Loading

Full text loading...

Refuge characteristics and preferences of in semi-arid savanna
Amphibia-Reptilia 35, 1, 41 (2014); https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-00002920
/content/journals/10.1163/15685381-00002920
/content/journals/10.1163/15685381-00002920
Loading

Data & Media loading...

1. Auffenberg W. , Weaver W.G. Jr. ( 1969): " Gopherus berlandieriin southeastern Texas". Bull. Fla. Stat. Mus. Vol 13: 141- 203.
2. Bailey B.J.R. ( 1980): "Large sample simultaneous confidence-intervals for the multinomial probabilities based on transformations of the cell frequencies". Technometrics Vol 22: 583- 589. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00401706.1980.10486208
3. Beck D.D. , Jennings R.D. ( 2003): "Habitat use by gila monsters: the importance of shelters". Herpetol. Monogr. Vol 17: 111- 129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1655/0733-1347(2003)017[0111:HUBGMT]2.0.CO;2
4. Blouin-Demers G. , Weatherhead P.J. ( 2002): "Habitat-specific behavioural thermoregulation by black rat snakes ( Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta)". Oikos Vol 97: 59- 68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0706.2002.970106.x
5. Boycott R.C. , Bourquin O. ( 2000): The Southern African Tortoise Book. Hilton, South Africa.
6. Boyer D.R. ( 1965): "Ecology of the basking habit in turtles". Ecology Vol 46: 99- 118. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1935262
7. Branch W.R. ( 1998): Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa, 3rd Edition. Struik, Cape Town.
8. Cherry S. ( 1996): "A comparison of confidence interval methods for habitat use-availability studies". J. Wildl. Manage. Vol 60: 653- 658. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3802084
9. Cloudsley-Thompson J.L. ( 1999): The Diversity of Amphibians and Reptiles: an Introduction. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-60005-0
10. Congdon J.D. ( 1989): "Proximate and evolutionary constraints on energy relations of reptiles". Physiol. Zool. Vol 62: 356- 373.
11. Douglas R.M. , Rall M. ( 2006): "Seasonal shelter selection by leopard tortoises ( Geochelone pardalis) in the Franklin Nature Reserve, Free State, South Africa". Chelonian Conserv. Biol. Vol 5: 121- 129. http://dx.doi.org/10.2744/1071-8443(2006)5[121:SSSBLT]2.0.CO;2
12. Downes S. , Shine R. ( 1998): "Heat, safety or solitude? Using habitat selection experiments to identify a lizard’s priorities". Anim. Behav. Vol 55: 1387- 1396. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1997.0705
13. Duda J.J. , Krzysik A.J. , Meloche J.M. ( 2002): "Spatial organization of desert tortoises and their burrows at a landscape scale". Chelonian Conserv. Biol. Vol 4: 387- 397.
14. Ebrahimi M. , Fenner A.L. , Bull C.M. ( 2012): "Lizard behaviour suggests a new design for artificial burrows". Wildl. Res. Vol 39: 295- 300. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR11155
15. Geffen E. , Mendelssohn H. ( 1989): "Activity patterns and thermoregulatory behavior of the Egyptian tortoise, Testudo kleinmanni, in Israel". J. Herpetol. Vol 23: 404- 409. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1564052
16. Germishuizen G. , Meyer N.L. ( 2003): Plants of Southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
17. Grant B.W. , Dunham A.E. ( 1988): "Thermally imposed time constraints on the activity of the desert lizard Sceloporus merriami ". Ecology Vol 69: 167- 176. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1943171
18. Grigg G.C. , Drane C.R. , Courtice G.P. ( 1979): "Time constants of heating and cooling in the eastern water dragon, Physignathus lesueruiiand some generalizations about heating and cooling in reptiles". J. Therm. Biol. Vol 4: 95- 103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0306-4565(79)90052-4
19. Grillet P. , Cheylan M. , Thirion J.-M. , Doré F. , Bonnet X. , Dauge C. , Chollet S. , Marchand M.A. ( 2010): "Rabbit burrows or artificial refuges are a critical habitat component for the threatened lizard, Timon lepidus(Sauria, Lacertidae)". Biodivers. Conserv. Vol 19: 2039- 2051. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10531-010-9824-y
20. Henen B.T. ( 1997): "Seasonal and annual energy budgets of female desert tortoises ( Gopherus agassizii)". Ecology Vol 78: 283- 296. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[0283:SAAEBO]2.0.CO;2
21. Hill R.A. ( 1999): "Size-dependent tortoise predation by baboons at De Hoop Nature Reserve, South Africa". S. Afr. J. Sci. Vol 95: 123.
22. Hofmeyr M.D. , Boycott R.C. , Baard E.H.W. (in press): "Family: Testudinidae". In: Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Bates M.F. , Branch W.R. , Bauer A.M. , Burger M. , Marais J. , Alexander G.J. , de Villiers M.S. , Eds, South African Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
23. Holm S. ( 1979): "A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure". Scand. J. Statist. Vol 6: 65- 70.
24. Huey R.B. ( 1991): "Physiological consequences of habitat selection". Am. Nat. Vol 137: S91- S115. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/285141
25. Huey R.B. , Bennett A.F. ( 1990): "Physiological adjustments to fluctuating thermal environments: an ecological and evolutionary perspective". In: Stress Proteins in Biology and Medicine, p.  37- 59. Mormioto R.I. , Tissières A. , Georgopoulos C. , Eds, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, North America.
26. Joshua Q.I. , Hofmeyr M.D. , Henen B.T. , Weitz F.M. ( 2005): "Seasonal changes in the vegetation of island and mainland habitats of angulate tortoises in the Western Cape, South Africa". S. Afr. J. Sci. Vol 101: 439- 445.
27. Keswick T. ( 2012): Ecology and morphology of the Kalahari tent tortoise, Psammobates oculifer, in a semi-arid environment. Ph.D. thesis, University of the Western Cape, Belville, South Africa.
28. Keswick T. , Henen B.T. , Hofmeyr M.D. ( 2006): "Sexual disparity in activity patterns and time budgets of angulate tortoises ( Chersina angulata) on Dassen Island, South Africa". Afr. Zool. Vol 41: 224- 233. http://dx.doi.org/10.3377/1562-7020(2006)41[224:SDIAPA]2.0.CO;2
29. Kinlaw A. ( 1999): "A review of burrowing by semi-fossorial vertebrates in arid environments". J. Arid Environ. Vol 41: 127- 145. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/jare.1998.0476
30. Lagarde F. , Louzizi T. , Slimani T. , El Mouden H. , Ben Kaddour K. , Moulherat S. , Bonnet X. ( 2012): "Bushes protect tortoises from lethal overheating in arid areas of Morocco". Environ. Conserv. Vol 39: 172- 182. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0376892911000634
31. Leistner O.A. ( 1967): "The plant ecology of the southern Kalahari". Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Afr. Vol 38: 1- 140.
32. Nagy K.A. , Medica P.A. ( 1986): "Physiological ecology of desert tortoises in southern Nevada". Herpetologica Vol 42: 73- 92.
33. Plummer M.V. ( 2003): "Activity and thermal ecology of the box turtle, Terrapene ornata, at its southwestern range limit in Arizona". Chelonian Conserv. Biol. Vol 4: 569- 577.
34. Pough F.H. ( 1980): "The advantages of ectothermy for tetrapods". Am. Nat. Vol 115: 92- 112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/283547
35. Press W.H. , Flannery B.P. , Teukolsky S.A. , Vetterling W.T. ( 1986): Numerical Recipes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
36. Rutherford M.C. , Mucina L. , Lotter M.C. , Bredenkamp G.J. , Smit J.H.L. , Scott-Shaw C.R. , Hoare D.B. , Goodman P.S. , Bezuidenhout H. , Scott L. , Ellis F. , Powrie L.W. , Siebert F. , Mostert T.H. , Henning B.J. , Ventner C.E. , Camp K.G.T. , Siebert S.J. , Matthews W.S. , Burrows J.E. , Dobson L. , van Rooyen N. , Schmidt E. , Winter P.J.D. , du Preez P.J. , Ward R.A. , Williamson S. , Hurter P.J.H. ( 2006): "Savanna Biome". In: The Vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, p.  440- 529. Mucina L. , Rutherford M.C. , Eds, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
37. Seebacher F. , Franklin C.E. ( 2005): "Physiological mechanisms of thermoregulation in reptiles: a review". J. Comp. Physiol. B Biochem. Syst. Environ. Physiol. Vol 175: 533- 541. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00360-005-0007-1
38. Skinner J.D. , Chimimba C.T. ( 2005): The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107340992
39. Spencer R. , Thompson M.B. , Hume I.D. ( 1998): "The diet and digestive energetics of an Australian short-necked turtle, Emydura macquarii ". Comp. Biochem. Physiol. Part A Mol. Integr. Physiol. Vol 121: 341- 349. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1095-6433(98)10132-0
40. Stevenson R.D. ( 1985a): "The relative importance of behavioral and physiological adjustments controlling body temperature in terrestrial ectotherms". Am. Nat. Vol 126: 362- 386. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/284423
41. Stevenson R.D. ( 1985b): "Body size and limits to the daily range of body temperature in terrestrial ectotherms". Am. Nat. Vol 125: 102- 117. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/284330
42. Storey K.B. ( 2006): "Reptile freeze tolerance: metabolism and gene expression". Cryobiology Vol 52: 1- 16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cryobiol.2005.09.005
43. van Oudtshoorn F. ( 2004): Guide to Grasses of Southern Africa, 2nd Edition. Briza Publications, Pretoria.
44. Zar J.H. ( 2001): Biostatistical Analysis, 4th Edition. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
45. Zimmerman L.C. , O’Connor M.P. , Bulova S.J. , Spotila J.R. , Kemp S.J. , Salice C.J. ( 1994): "Thermal ecology of desert tortoises in the eastern Mojave Desert: seasonal patterns of operative and body temperatures, and microhabitat utilization". Herpetol. Monogr. Vol 8: 45- 49. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1467069
http://brill.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1163/15685381-00002920
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1163/15685381-00002920
2014-01-01
2017-08-23
rss email facebook twitter
share this

Sign-in

Can't access your account?

Register

Register now to access more content

  • Tools

  • Add to Favorites
  • Printable version
  • Email this page
  • Subscribe to ToC alert
  • Get permissions
  • Recommend to your library

    You must fill out fields marked with: *

    Librarian details
    Your details
    Why are you recommending this title?
    Select reason:
     
    Amphibia-Reptilia — Recommend this title to your library
  • Export citations

  • Key

  • Full access
  • Open Access
  • Partial/No accessInformation
arrow back to top arrow