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Translocation is increasingly used to move animals of conservation concern away from sites where habitat will be destroyed (mitigation translocation), but outcomes have rarely been adequately monitored, particularly for amphibians. We used radiotelemetry monitoring to assess survival and movement of 23 experimentally translocated, adult Gopher Frogs (Lithobates capito) at a recipient site in north-central Florida, USA. Although posttranslocation monitoring was our primary goal, we also compared our results with those of 24 nontranslocated frogs that were monitored in three previous efforts, conducted at different locations and times. For both translocated and nontranslocated frogs, movement was the most important predictor of mortality, with translocated frogs having a significantly higher probability of movement and higher mortality during the first month following release. However, there was no effect of translocation on survival after controlling for probability of movement because movement was dangerous for both translocated and nontranslocated frogs. Movement by translocated frogs was likely a behavioral response to the translocation experience, whereas movement by nontranslocated frogs was associated with breeding pond visitation, which was not observed within the translocated group. Survival was high for both groups once they settled into underground refugia and movement declined. Despite the comparatively high mortality of translocated frogs immediately following release, more than half survived to the end of monitoring and remained in the vicinity of the release site, meeting an early benchmark of translocation success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In southern Florida, USA, Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) primarily occupy habitats that are considered suboptimal or unsuitable in other parts of the range. The dominant habitat is mesic flatwoods, which has abundant forage but has high water tables that might hinder burrowing and nesting. In contrast, Florida scrub assemblages on inland ridges have suitable soils but scarce forage. We used radio telemetry to monitor 22 male and 23 female Gopher Tortoises in mesic flatwoods and scrub habitats of southern Florida. Compared to mesic flatwoods, we predicted larger home ranges and more frequent movement among burrows in scrub because of the scarcity of forage, and we predicted possible shifts in home ranges (e.g., from wetter to drier habitats) in response to seasonal rainfall. We found that home ranges in our study area were larger than is typical for higher-quality habitats (e.g., sandhill) in other parts of the range, but we observed little movement between habitats. Male home ranges and burrow use patterns were similar in flatwoods and scrub, with males making frequent excursions to court females. Females in scrub were sedentary, contradicting our prediction of frequent movement attributable to scarce forage, and we did not observe feeding forays by either sex to adjacent food-rich habitats. Compared to females in scrub, females in flatwoods had larger home ranges, used more burrows, and moved more frequently among them. High levels of movement in flatwoods might have been influenced by the high water table and frequent burrow flooding. Nonetheless, we saw no evidence of large-scale shifts to drier habitats for nesting or during peak rains. Further research is needed to investigate mechanisms that enable persistence of Gopher Tortoises under apparently suboptimal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many snake populations display seasonal variation in movement patterns in response to spatiotemporal variation in prey, mates, and other resources. Eastern Indigo Snakes (Drymarchon couperi) are federally threatened and endemic to the southeastern coastal plain of the United States. Although previous studies have described seasonal variation in D. couperi movement patterns at the northern limit of their range (southern Georgia), such information is currently lacking from peninsular Florida. We describe sex-specific seasonal variation in D. couperi movement patterns and space use in peninsular Florida across multiple temporal scales. We found that males made longer, more frequent movements, and had larger home ranges than females during the winter breeding season. Although movement frequency and distance were similar between sexes during the nonbreeding season, males still had larger home ranges. The degree of within-individual home-range overlap was consistent over time and not indicative of seasonal migrations between winter and summer habitats. Our observations of increased male movements during the winter are consistent with observations of breeding activity by snakes at our study sites, and across the species' range. The levels of winter activity that we observed for D. couperi contrast with the spring/autumn breeding seasons and low winter activity reported for other North American snake species. In contrast to our results, previous studies of D. couperi in southern Georgia found that both sexes exhibited the lowest rates of movement and smallest home-range sizes during winter, despite the occurrence of breeding activity. We hypothesize that differences in winter climate between these two areas allow for greater surface activity among snakes in peninsular Florida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]