SREL Reprint #3558

Chapter 1. Introduction and History

J. Whitfield Gibbons

University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Lab, Aiken, SC 29802, USA

Introduction: Many researchers proclaim that their study species has qualities that set it apart from other species and make it the "ideal model" for research pursuits. Some even define their study organism as "unique," which becomes meaningless when considering that every species on earth is unique when we take into account its evolutionary history and current genetic makeup coupled with its geographic range, ecology, and life history traits. Nonetheless, a primary feature that sets the diamond-backed terrapin apart from all other turtles is that it resides permanently in brackish water. No other turtle can claim more than a passing association with the relatively thin interface between the full saltwater of the ocean and the freshwater lakes and tributaries associated with the mainland on every turtle-inhabited island, isthmus, and continent. Other turtles also are called "terrapins," but of the 335 recognized extant species, all but the diamond-backed terrapin live mostly on one side or the other of the brackish ecotone. Thus, the diamond-backed terrapin truly is unique among turtles in making this habitat its home. . .

SREL Reprint #3558

Gibbons, J. W. 2018. Chapter 1. Introduction and History. pp.1-4 In: W. M. Roosenburg and V. S. Kennedy (Eds.). Ecology and Conservation of the Diamond-Backed Terrapin. Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, MD.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).