FURTHER STUDIES
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• Examine physical condition, population densities, and age and sex distributions.
• Compare ectoparasite loads between species, ponds, and turtles of varying sizes.
Figure 2. Painted Turtle size distribution in farm and golf course ponds. No juveniles were captured in farm ponds. Sexual size dimorphism seems to be more pronounced in golf course ponds.
The Ecology of Semi-aquatic Turtles in Farm and Golf Course Ponds
Elisabeth L. Failey, Clint McCoy, Steven J. Price and Michael E. Dorcas
Department of Biology, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035
INTRODUCTION
Golf courses alter landscapes through habitat fragmentation and increased levels of human disturbance, yet they often create ponds and incorporate existing waterways which could provide habitat for wetland dependent species, such as semi-aquatic turtles. The main objective of our study was to determine if golf course ponds provide suitable habitat for semi-aquatic turtles and to:
• Compare species composition and abundances on  farm and on golf course ponds.
• Examine Painted Turtle size distribution for ponds on farms and golf courses.
• Determine if parasite loads and injuries differed between pond types.
METHODS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We thank Mallard Head Country Club (Sam Linker), North Stone Country Club (Darrin Spierings), and River Run Country Club (Bo Miller) for providing access to golf course ponds, Dennis Testerman and Cabarrus County Soil and Water Conservation for helping get permission to sample the ponds on sites of future development, and Hunter Swick for help with sampling. Funding provided by the Davidson College Biology Department, Duke Power, and by National Science Foundation Grants (REU-0139153 and DEB-0347326) to MED.
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1) Selected 5 golf course and 5 farm ponds in Mecklenburg, Iredell and Cabarrus Counties, NC.
2) Placed 10 traps baited with sardines in each pond and checked the traps 4 times a week for 20 days.
4) Counted the number of leeches upon capture for each turtle and recorded any injuries.
5) All turtles were given a unique 3 letter code for identification.
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3) Returned all turtles to the lab for weighing, measuring and marking. 
Figure 3. Percentage of turtles (all species combined) parasitized in farm and golf course ponds by leeches. Error bars represent one SE.
Farm Ponds
Golf Course Ponds
RESULTS
Figure 1. Percentage of total turtles captured in farm and golf course ponds. Golf course and farm ponds are similar in species composition (Bray Curtis – 0.04). Painted Turtles were the most common species captured in both pond types, however they made up a higher percent of total captures in farm ponds. Yellowbelly Sliders and Mud Turtles appear to be more common in golf course ponds.
RESULTS CONTINUED
Figure 4. Percentage of turtles with serious shell damage or missing limbs
SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS
• Golf course and farm ponds are not appreciably different in terms of species composition.
• Large females in the presence of caught juveniles may suggest that golf courses provide suitable habitat for Painted Turtles.
• A higher percentage of turtles from golf course ponds had serious shell damage or missing limbs, however the number of leeches found on turtles did not appear to differ between golf course ponds and farm ponds.
• Overall differences in species composition, total number of turtles, and ectoparasite loads may depend more on the type and proximity of surrounding habitat suitable to individual species.
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