Bushes protect tortoises from lethal overheating in arid areas of Morocco

Environmental Conservation

Volumn 39, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 172-182

  Lagarde, F ^a   Louzizi, T ^a,b   Slimani, T ^b   El Mouden, H ^b   Ben Kaddour, K ^b   Moulherat, S ^c   Bonnet, X ^a  

^a CENTRE D ETUDES BIOLOGIQUES DE CHIZÉ   (France)

^b FACULTÉ DES SCIENCES SEMLALIA   (Morocco)

^c SEE CNRS Moulis   (France)

Author keywords

arid region; habitat quality; home range; lethal temperature; refuge; reptile; thermoregulation; tortoise

Indexed keywords

HABITAT QUALITY; HOME RANGE; LETHAL TEMPERATURE; REFUGE; REPTILE; THERMOREGULATION; TORTOISE;

ANIMALS; ARID REGIONS; BIODIVERSITY; CLIMATE CHANGE; RESTORATION;

ECOSYSTEMS;

ANTHROPOGENIC EFFECT; ARID REGION; BIODIVERSITY; CLIMATE CHANGE; HABITAT LOSS; HABITAT QUALITY; HOME RANGE; MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT; MICROHABITAT; OVERGRAZING; RADIOTELEMETRY; REFUGE; TEMPERATURE EFFECT; THERMOREGULATION; TURTLE; URBANIZATION;

MOROCCO;

ANIMALIA; REPTILIA; TESTUDINES; TESTUDINIDAE; TESTUDO GRAECA; ZIZIPHUS; ZIZIPHUS LOTUS;

EID: 84860800804     PISSN: 03768929     EISSN: 14694387     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/S0376892911000634     Document Type: Article

References (55)

1. Bayley, J.R. & Highfield, A.C. (1996) Observations on ecological changes threatening a population of Testudo graeca graeca in the Souss Valley, Southern Morocco. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2: 36-42.
2. Bartholomew, G.A. (1982) Physiological control of body temperature. In: Biology of the Reptilia, Volume 12, ed. C. Gans & F.H. Pough, pp. 167-211. New York, NY, USA: Academic Press.
3. Beck, D.D. & Jennings, R.D. (2003) Habitat use by Gila monsters: the importance of shelters. HerpetologicalMonograph 17: 111-129. (Pubitemid 37156035)
4. Ben Kaddour, K. (2005) Ecologie et traits d'histoire de vie de la tortue mauresque (Testudo graeca graeca L., 1758) dans un environnement aride et surpaturé au Maroc occidental: implications en terme de conservation. Thèse de Doctorat, Université CadiAyyad, Faculté des Sciences Semlalia, Marrakech, Maroc: 219 pp.
5. Bliege-Bird, R., Bird, D.W., Codding, B.F., Parker, C.H. & Jones, J.H. (2008) The 'fire stick farming' hypothesis: Australian aboriginal foraging strategies, biodiversity, and anthropogenic fire mosaics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 105: 14796-14801.
6. Bonnet, X., Brischoux, F., Pearson, D. & Rivalan, P. (2009) Beachrock as a keystone habitat for sea kraits. EnvironmentalConservation 36: 62-70.
7. Bradshaw, S.D. (1997) Homeostasis in Desert Reptiles. Berlin and Heidelberg, Germany: Springer: 213 pp.
8. Bulova, S.J. (2002). How temperature, humidity, and burrow selection affect evaporative water loss in desert tortoises. Journal of Thermal Biology 27: 175-189. (Pubitemid 34299582)
9. Castro, J., Zamora, R., Hodar, J.A., Gomez, J.M. & Gomez-Aparicio, L. (2004) Benefits of using shrubs as nurse plants for reforestation in Mediterranean mountains: a 4-year study. Restoration Ecology 12: 352-358. (Pubitemid 39306431)
10. Cooper, S.M. & Owen-Smith, N. (1986) Effects of plant spinescence on large mammalian herbivores. Oecologia 68: 446-455.
11. Depommier, D. (1988) Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. Culture et utilisation en pays Kapsiki (Nord Cameroun): Ziziphus mauritiana Lam. Bois et Forêts des Tropiques 218: 57-62.
12. El Mouden, E.H., Lagarde, F., Ben Kaddour, K., Slimani, T., Guillon, M. & Bonnet, X. (2004) Le surpâturage. Un défit pour la tortue grecque? Le courrier de la nature 210: 23-27.
13. El Mouden, E.H., Slimani, T., Ben Kaddour, K., Lagarde, F., Oouhammou, A. & Bonnet, X. (2006) Testudo graeca graeca feeding ecology in an arid and overgrazed zone in Morocco. Journal of Arid Environnements 64: 422-435. (Pubitemid 41736123)
14. Fasulo, A., Follari, J. & Barral, J. (2001) Comparison between a simple solar collector accumulator and conventional accumulator. Solar Energy 71: 389-401. (Pubitemid 33056117)
15. Fleischner, T.L. (1994) Ecological costs of livestock grazing in western North America. Conservation Biology 8: 629-644. (Pubitemid 2139310)
16. Galli, G., Taylor, E.W. & Wang, T. (2004) The cardiovascular responses of the fresh water turtle Trachemys scripta to warming and cooling. Journal of Experimental Biology 207: 1471-1478. (Pubitemid 38571982)
17. Geist, H.J. & Lambin, E.F. (2004) Dynamic causal patterns of desertification. Bioscience 54: 817-829.
18. Grillet, P., Cheylan, M., Thirion, J.M., Doré, F., Bonnet, X., Dauge, C., Chollet, S. & Marchand, M.A. (2010) Rabbit burrows or artificial refuges are a critical habitat component for the threatened lizard, Timon lepidus (Sauria, Lacertidae). Biodiversity and Conservation 19: 2039-2051.
19. Hailey, A. & Coulson, I.A. (1996) Temperature and the tropical tortoise Kinixys spekii: tests of thermoregulation. Journal of Zoology London 240: 537-549.
20. Hutchison, V.H., Vinegar, A. & Kosh, R.J. (1966) Critical thermal maxima in turtles. Herpetologica 22: 32-41.
21. Kéfi, S., Rietkerk, M., Alados, C.L., Pueyo, Y., Papanastasis, V.P., ElAich, A. & de Ruiter, P.C. (2007) Spatial vegetation patterns and imminent desertification in Mediterranean arid ecosystems. Nature 449: 213-217. (Pubitemid 47402370)
22. Lagarde, F., Bonnet, X., Corbin, J., Henen, B., Nagy, K., Mardonov, B. & Naulleau, G. (2003a) Foraging behaviour and diet of an ectothermic herbivore: Testudo horsfieldi. Ecography 26: 236-242. (Pubitemid 36590272)
23. Lagarde, F., Bonnet, X., Henen, B., Nagy, K., Corbin, J., Lacroix, A. & Trouvé, C. (2003b) Plasma steroid and nutrient levels during the active season in wild Testudo horsfieldi. General and Comparative Endocrinology 134: 139-146. (Pubitemid 37153121)
24. Lagarde, F., Guillon, M., Dubroca, L., Bonnet, X., Ben Kaddour, K., Slimani, T. & El Mouden, E.H. (2008) Slowness and acceleration: a new method to quantify the activity budget of chelonians. Animal Behaviour 75: 319-329. (Pubitemid 350298077)
25. Lelièvre, H., Blouin-Demers, G., Bonnet, X. & Lourdais, O. (2010) Thermal benefits of artificial shelters in snakes: a radiotelemetric study of two sympatric colubrids. Journal of Thermal Biology 35: 324-331.
26. Lillywhite, H.B. (1987) Temperature, energetics and physiological ecology. In: Snakes, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, ed. R.A. Seigel, J.T. Collins & S.S. Novak, pp. 422-477. New York, NY, USA: Macmillan.
27. Long, G. (1954) Contribution à l'étude de la végétation de la Tunisie centrale. Annales du Service de Botanique et d'Agriculture de Tunisie 27: 72-176.
28. Louzizi, T. (2006) Organisation temporelle du comportement de thermorégulation chez la tortue mauresque (Testudo graeca graeca L. 1758) dans un milieu aride et dégradé: implication en terme de conservation.Mémoire du DESA, Université Cadi Ayyad, Faculté des Sciences Semlalia, Marrakech, Maroc: 60 pp.
29. Mader, (2003) L'avocatier, le chérimolier, le kaki, le jujubier. Ministère de L'agriculture et du Développement Rural, transfert de technologie en agriculture, Bulletin mensuel d'information et de liaison du PNTTA 108, Rabat, Maroc: 4 pp.
30. Mamva, (1996) Résultats de l'enquête nationale sur les terres agricoles soumises à l'érosion. Ministère de l'Agriculture et de la Mise en Valeur Agricole, Rabat, Maroc.
31. McGregor, H.V., Dupont, L., Stuut, J.B.W. & Kuhlmann, H. (2009) Vegetation change, goats, and religion: a 2000-year history of land use in southern Morocco. Quaternary Science Reviews 28: 1434-1448.
32. McGinnis, S.M. & Voigt, W.G. (1971) Thermoregulation in the desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 40A: 199-126.
33. McMaster, M.K. & Downs, C.T. (2006) Do seasonal and behavioral differences in the use of refuges by the leopard tortoise (Geochelone pardalis) favor passive thermoregulation? Herpetologica 62: 37-46. (Pubitemid 44077960)
34. Médail, F. & Quézel, P. (1999) Biodiversity hotspots in the Mediterranean basin: setting global conservation priorities. Conservation Biology 13: 1510-1513.
35. Milchunas, D.G. & Lauenroth, W.K. (1993) Quantitative effects of grazing on vegetation and soils over a global range of environments. Ecological Monograph 63: 327-66.
36. Myers, N., Mittermeier, R.A., Mittermeier, C.G., Da Fonseca, G.A.B. & Kent, J. (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403: 853-858. (Pubitemid 30130979)
37. O'Connor, M.P., Zimmerman, L.C., Ruby, D.E., Bulova, S. & Spotila, J.R. (1994) Home range size and movements of desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii). Herpetological Monographs 8: 60-71. (Pubitemid 2141638)
38. Peterson, C.R., Gibson, A.R. & Dorcas, M.E. (1993) Snake thermal ecology: the causes and consequences of body-temperature variation. In: Snakes Ecology and Behavior, ed. R.A. Seigel & J.T. Collins, pp. 241-314. USA: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
39. Pimm, S.L. & Raven, P. (2000) Biodiversity: extinction by numbers. Nature 403: 843-845.
40. Pleguezuelos, J.M., Brito, J.C., Fahd, S., Feriche, M., Mateo, J.A., Moreno-Rueda, G., Reques, R. & Santos, X. (2010) Setting conservation priorities for the Moroccan herpetofauna: the utility of regional red lists. Oryx 44: 501-508.
41. Porter, W.P., Mitchell, J.W., Beckman, W.A. & DeWitt, C.B. (1973) Behavioral implications of mechanistic ecology: thermal and behavioral modeling of desert ectotherms and their microenvironments. Oecologia 13: 1-54.
42. Pringle, R.M., Syfert, M., Webb, J.K. & Shine, R. (2009) Quantifying historical changes in habitat availability for endangered species: use of pixel- and object-based remote sensing. Journal of Applied Ecology 46: 544-553.
43. PNTTA (2002) La lutte chimique contre le jujubier. Bulletin Mensuel de Liaison et d'Information du PNTTA, MADREF/DERDlN 94, l Juillet 2002, Rabat, Maroc: 4 pp.
44. Regehr, D.L. & El Brahli, A. (1995) Wild jujube (Ziziphus lotus) control in Morocco. Weed Technology 9: 326-330.
45. Rsaissi, N. & Bouhache, M. (2002) La lute chimique contre le jujubier. Ministère de L'agriculture et du Développement Rural, transfert de technologie en agriculture. Bulletin mensuel d'information et de liaison du PNTTA 94, Rabat, Maroc: 4 pp.
46. Sereau, M., Lagarde, F., Bonnet, X., ElMouden, E.H., Slimani, T., Dubroca, L., Trouvé, C., Dano, S. & Lacroix, A. (2010). Does testosterone influence activity budget in the male Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca graeca)? General and Comparative Endocrinology 167: 181-189.
47. Scott, D.M., Brown, D., Mahood, S., Denton, B., Silburn, A. & Rakotondraparany, F. (2006) The impacts of forest clearance on lizard, small mammal and bird communities in the arid spiny forest, southern Madagascar. Biological Conservation 127: 72-87. (Pubitemid 41560942)
48. Slimani, T., Ben Kaddour, K. & Devaux, B. (2001) Situation de Testudo graeca au Maroc. La Tortue 53: 46-47.
49. Slimani, T., El Mouden, E.H., Ben Kaddour, K., Lagarde, F. & Bonnet, X. (2006) Ecological characteristics and habitat status of the spur-thighed Testudo graeca graeca in an arid area of Morocco: implications for conservation. Chelonii 4: 83-86.
50. Stevenson, R.D. (1985) The relative importance of behavioral and physiological adjustments controlling body temperature in terrestrial ectotherms. The American Naturalist 126: 362-386.
51. Taïbi, A.N. & El Hannani, M. (2004) Identification et suivi des processus de la dégradation du milieu dans le bassin de l'oued Dadès (Maroc) par télédétection satellitaire et aérienne. Télédétection 4: 63-73.
52. Tripathi, G., Kumari, R. & Sharma, B.M. (2007) Mesofaunal biodiversity and its importance in Thar desert. Journal of Environmental Biology 28: 503-515. (Pubitemid 46683636)
53. Vickers, M., Manicom, C. & Schwarzkopf, L. (2011) Extending of the cost-benefit model of thermoregulation: high temperature environments. The American Naturalist 177: 452-461.
54. Webb, G.J. & Witten, G.J. (1973) Critical thermal maxima of turtles, validity of body temperature. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 45: 829-832.
55. Webb, J.K. & Shine, R. (1997) Out on a limb: conservation implications of tree-hollow use by a threatened snake species (Hoplocephalus bungaroides: Serpentes, Elapidae). Biological Conservation 81: 21-33.