Date of Presentation
4-23-2024 9:00 AM
College
College of Science & Mathematics
Faculty Sponsor(s)
Dr. Zachary Christman
Poster Abstract
The diamondback terrapin, a brackish water turtle native to the eastern US, is listed as a species of ‘special concern’ in the state of New Jersey, due to decreasing habitat from development and changing climatic conditions. Diamondback terrapins reside in saline marshes and wetlands and nest in sandy substrate, primarily beaches and dunes, in June and July. The state of New Jersey is vulnerable to both sea level rise, leaving diamondback terrapin habitats and nesting areas at risk of inundation under future climate scenarios, and, as the most densely populated state, subject to continual development pressures on potentially conservable land. Changing sea level and climatic conditions will cause accretion and migration of marshes into open grassy land, yielding new potential terrapin habitat, though changing temperatures could affect the availability of male-producing nesting sites sex ratios and impact potential nesting patterns. This study spatially modeled lost, gained, and changed habitat and nesting areas under sea level rise scenarios for 2050 and 2100 in New Jersey and quantifies these by municipality to offer insights into potential conservable land that may mitigate these changes for the vulnerable species. Results indicate an overall decrease in potential habitat coupled with a decrease in both overall and male-producing nesting ranges.
Student Keywords
marshland habitat and conservation, diamondback terrapins, New Jersey, climate change, development pressures
Disciplines
Biology
Document Type
Poster
Included in
Estimating changing marshland habitat and conservation potential for diamondback terrapins in New Jersey under climate change and development pressures
The diamondback terrapin, a brackish water turtle native to the eastern US, is listed as a species of ‘special concern’ in the state of New Jersey, due to decreasing habitat from development and changing climatic conditions. Diamondback terrapins reside in saline marshes and wetlands and nest in sandy substrate, primarily beaches and dunes, in June and July. The state of New Jersey is vulnerable to both sea level rise, leaving diamondback terrapin habitats and nesting areas at risk of inundation under future climate scenarios, and, as the most densely populated state, subject to continual development pressures on potentially conservable land. Changing sea level and climatic conditions will cause accretion and migration of marshes into open grassy land, yielding new potential terrapin habitat, though changing temperatures could affect the availability of male-producing nesting sites sex ratios and impact potential nesting patterns. This study spatially modeled lost, gained, and changed habitat and nesting areas under sea level rise scenarios for 2050 and 2100 in New Jersey and quantifies these by municipality to offer insights into potential conservable land that may mitigate these changes for the vulnerable species. Results indicate an overall decrease in potential habitat coupled with a decrease in both overall and male-producing nesting ranges.