Analysis of Potential Bog Turtle Habitats Using a Species Distribution Model

Keywords: bog turtle, habitat, distribution
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

North America’s smallest turtle, Glyptemys muhlenbergii, has been classified as federally threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1997. The range of the bog turtle is split into a northern and southern population divided by a 250-mile gap, administering an opportunity for connecting the populations. This task has been widely studied with species distribution models (SDMs) being a key component of potential habitat prediction. SDMs combine recorded occurrences of a given species (presence data) with factors influencing habitat preferences (environmental data) to pinpoint how feasible a location would be in sustaining the species of interest. While multiple SDMs currently aid in bridging the gap between bog turtle populations, there is still widespread opportunity for composing smaller-scale, more specific SDMs to better aid in manageable conservation efforts on a state or county level. This project utilizes Maximum Entropy (Maxent) software to build a strong SDM for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, providing reliable tools for identifying suitable habitat and expanding the range of the threatened bog turtle.