SREL Reprint #3793

Successful post-translocation reproduction and genetic integration of eastern box turtles

Ryan J. Rimple1,2, Brian M. Shamblin2, Kurt A. Buhlmann1, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.1,3,
Michel T. Kohl2, and Tracey D. Tuberville1

1Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA
2Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
3Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

Abstract: Translocation is a conservation tool increasingly used in the recovery of at-risk species, including turtles, which are one of the world’s most imperiled taxa. Post-release monitoring is essential to determine the outcomes of a given intervention and inform future efforts. However, monitoring typically focuses on post-release survival and spatial ecology whereas few studies assess the genetic and demographic outcomes. The eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is in decline throughout its range and is increasingly likely to be subject to translocations, including efforts to repatriate animals confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade. In 2019–2021, we translocated two groups of box turtles to the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, USA, including confiscated turtles (n = 208) and surrendered long-term captive turtles (LTC; n = 35). In 2022, we monitored a subset of confiscated (n = 12), LTC (n = 15), and sympatric resident (n = 8) females for reproductive output and genotyped their offspring and candidate sires to assign parentage. We found that all groups of females produced eggs at a similar rate and produced viable offspring but that the most recently translocated group (LTCs) displayed lower hatching success. Parentage assignment revealed that all groups sired offspring and mated with each other. Our results broadly indicate that confiscated and LTC box turtles can successfully reproduce and genetically integrate following their release into wild populations, and that translocation may serve as a valuable tool for local population recovery.

Keywords: Animal translocation; Genetic parentage; Illegal wildlife trade; Wildlife repatriation; Post-release monitoring

SREL Reprint #3793

Rimple, R. J., B. M. Shamblin, K. A. Buhlmann, O. E. Rhodes Jr, M. T. Kohl, and T. D. Tuberville. 2024. Successful post-translocation reproduction and genetic integration of eastern box turtles. Biological Conservation 299(110796).

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