NESTING ECOLOGY, FEMALE HOME RANGE AND
 ACTIVITY, AND POPULATION SIZE-CLASS STRUCTURE
 OF THE GOPHER TORTOISE, GOPHERUS POLYPHEMUS,
 ON THE KATHARINE ORDWAY PRESERVE,
 PUTNAM COUNTY, FLORIDA



 Lora L. Smith1




 ABSTRACT


 From 1989 to 1991, I conducted field observations on life history characteristics of the gopher tortoise
(Gopheruspolyphemus) on the Katharine Ordway Preserve in north-central Florida. Fourteen adult females
were radio-instrumented for up to 505 days to determine home range size, movement, and activity patterns.
Home range estimates varied greatly among individual females, ranging between 0.002 and 1.435 ha.
Burrow densities ranged between 2.42 and 10.56 ha. The overall population size-class structure was skewed
toward adults (> 210 mm carapace length), suggesting a stable or declining population. Over three
consecutive nesting seasons, 2008 burrow aprons were checked for eggs. Less than two percent of the aprons
contained nests and only two of 18 gravid females deposited their eggs at burrow entrances. The mean clutch
size in 1990, at the height of a long term regional drought, was significantly different from 1991, when
seasonal rainfall was near average. Clutch size was positively correlated with female carapace length,
although carapace length explained only a small amount of the variance. However, a negative correlation
between burrow width and clutch size at nests located in burrow aprons suggests that these nests may have
been deposited by nonresident females.



 RESUME


 Entre 1989 y 1991, conduje observaciones de campo de las caracteristicas de historic de vida de la
tortuga excavadora (Gopherus polyphemus) en la Reserva Katharine Ordway, en el norte-centro de Florida.
Con el objeto de determinar el tamarlo de ambito de hogar, sus movimientos y patrons de actividad, se
radio-instrumentaron catorce hembras adults por hasta 505 dias. Las estimaciones del ambito de hogar
variaron grandemente entire hembras, con un rango de entire 0,002 y 1,435 ha. La densidad de madrigueras
vari6 entire 2,42 y 10,56 ha. La estructura etaria de toda la poblacion estuvo dominada por adults (> 210
mm largo del caparaz6n), lo que sugiere una poblaci6n stable o en disminuci6n. Por mas de tres estaciones

' The author is currently a doctoral student in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Newins-Ziegler Hall University of
Florida, Gainesville FL 32611, U.SA.


SMITH, L L 1995. Nesting ecology, female home range and activity,, and population size-class structure
of the gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, on the Katharine Ordway Preserve, Putnam County, Florida.
Bull. Florida Mus. Nat. Hist. 37, PL I(4):97-126.