Ecology and Vulnerability

Spotted Turtle

Despite being an active group for research focus in the Northeast, little is known about how RSGCN freshwater turtle species will respond to climate change, as there are only a handful of studies that have explored the subject, and only half of the species have any research at all (Figure 2.11). Further, most data on the most studied species, the Blanding’s Turtle, is outside of the Northeast region (Hamilton et al., 2018; Bryer et al., 2020). Given the importance of water features to the biology of these turtles, such as lakes and vernal pools, research and monitoring of associated aquatic habitats and studies of changing phenology, range shifts, and climate refugia may be especially important going forward to identify potential adaptation strategies for these species.

Changes in Population

From 2018-2020, Spotted Turtles were captured from Florida to Maine across 12 states, and recent climate change has likely led to lower proportions of males in sites that had them but only in areas that were on the warmer part of their range, indicating a climate-induced temperature-dependent sex ratio shift (Roberts et al., 2023).