Habitat Selection and Home Range of Reeves’ Turtle (Mauremys reevesii) in Qichun County, Hubei Province, China

Simple Summary This study investigated Reeves’ turtle (Mauremys reevesii) using radiotelemetry to determine its habitat selection and home range in Qichun County, Hubei Province, China. The results show that this is a semi-aquatic species and not purely aquatic, as previously categorized. When active in terrestrial habitats, these turtles prefer low-canopy cover habitats near the edges of fields with abundant shelter. They also prefer areas with many shelter opportunities in aquatic habitats, particularly shallow habitats near the water’s edge. Our study’s average home range area was larger than those noted in previous studies. Furthermore, many human activities occurred within their active area, threatening the Reeves’ turtle population. Protecting the habitat of Reeves’ turtles is crucial for their survival, and efforts should be made to preserve some of their original habitat from exploitation. Our results fill a gap in knowledge of the natural history of this endangered species. Abstract Habitat selection and range are crucial factors in understanding the life history of species. We tracked 23 adult wild Reeves’ turtles (Mauremys reevesii) from August 2021 to August 2022 in Qichun County, Hubei Province, China, to study their habitat selection, home range, and the characteristics of chosen habitats. Significant differences were observed in aquatic habitats, regarding shelter cover (Z = −6.032, p < 0.001), shelter height (Z = −6.783, p < 0.001), depth of water (Z = −2.009, p = 0.045), and distance from the edge (Z = −4.288, p < 0.001), between selected and random habitats. In terrestrial habitats, significant differences were observed in canopy cover (Z = −2.100, p = 0.036), herbage cover (Z = −2.347, p = 0.019), distance from the field edge (Z = −2.724, p = 0.006), dead grass cover (Z = −2.921, p = 0.003), and dead grass thickness (t = 3.735, df = 17, p = 0.002) between the selected and random habitats. The mean home range area observed for this turtle population was 14.34 ± 4.29 ha, the mean core home range was 2.91 ± 2.28 ha, and the mean line home range was 670.23 ± 119.62 m. This study provides valuable information on this endangered species, providing a foundation for the development of conservation plans.

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