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The gopher tortoise is a familiar turtle species across the southeastern Coastal Plain, but its population has declined significantly over several decades. A principal reason is that much of its primary habitat – sparse, open stands of mature pine – has been replaced by development or agriculture, or has become degraded through the suppression of low‐intensity, forage‐producing ground fires. The gopher tortoise is a “keystone” species, meaning that its disappearance from the landscape would negatively impact many other species that make use of its underground burrows. Out of concern over its decline and its important role in the ecosystem, the gopher tortoise is being considered for listing under the federal...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Drought,
Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather,
Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather,
Fire,
Forests, All tags...
Forests,
Gopher Tortoise,
Landscapes,
Other Landscapes,
Other Wildlife,
Plants,
Sea-Level Rise and Coasts,
Sea-Level Rise and Coasts,
Southeast CASC,
Southeast CASC,
Water, Coasts and Ice,
Wildlife and Plants, Fewer tags
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The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a familiar species across the southeastern Coastal Plain, but its population has declined significantly over the decades. One reason is that much of its primary habitat, sparse stands of mature pine, has been replaced by development or agriculture. Another is that periodic ground fires, which are important for providing needed forage for the tortoise, have been largely suppressed on the landscape. The gopher tortoise is a “keystone” species, meaning that its disappearance from the landscape would jeopardize the existence of many other species that make use of its underground burrows. Besides tortoise habitat, the uplands of the Coastal Plain contain isolated seasonal...
Categories: Project;
Types: Map Service,
OGC WFS Layer,
OGC WMS Layer,
OGC WMS Service;
Tags: 2013,
CASC,
Completed,
Data Visualization & Tools,
Data Visualization & Tools, All tags...
Drought, Fire and Extreme Weather,
Forests,
Landscapes,
Other Landscapes,
Other Wildlife,
Other Wildlife,
Projects by Region,
Science Tools for Managers,
Science Tools for Managers,
Southeast,
Southeast CASC,
Water, Coasts and Ice,
Wildlife and Plants,
Wildlife and Plants, Fewer tags
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