干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): In the land of giants: habitat use and selection of the Aldabra giant tortoise on Aldabra Atoll

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DOI	10.1007/s10531-019-01813-9
	In the land of giants: habitat use and selection of the Aldabra giant tortoise on Aldabra Atoll
	Walton, R.1,2; Baxter, R.3; Bunbury, N.1,4; Hansen, D.3; Fleischer-Dogley, F.1; Greenwood, S.5; Schaepman-Strub, G.3
通讯作者	Walton, R.
来源期刊	BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
ISSN	0960-3115
EISSN	1572-9710
出版年	2019
卷号	28 期号:12 页码:3183-3198
英文摘要	With habitat loss and fragmentation among the greatest threats to biodiversity, a better understanding of the habitat use of keystone species is critical in any conservation management strategy. Aldabra Atoll, in the Seychelles archipelago, has the largest population worldwide of giant tortoises. This endemic species (Aldabrachelys gigantea) could be vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and loss induced by climate change related reduction in rainfall. Here, we assess habitat use and selection by A. gigantea in its natural environment on Aldabra. We quantified the habitat areas of A. gigantea based on the first high-resolution terrestrial habitat map of Aldabra, produced for this purpose using satellite imagery. The resulting map was combined with 4 years of movement data to assess A. gigantea habitat use and selection at landscape and home range scales. Grassland or 'tortoise turf' habitat was most preferred by A. gigantea on Aldabra, at the landscape scale across seasons, followed by open mixed scrub. These two habitats cover only 30 km(2) (19.2%) of the surface of the atoll (total area: 155.5 km(2)). At the home range scale, there was no significant preference shown and habitat was used randomly. Our results suggest that Aldabra's grassland habitat, despite its small area, is of great importance to A. gigantea. Conservation management actions for A. gigantea on Aldabra and elsewhere should therefore focus on the protection and maintenance of this habitat.
英文关键词	Habitat mapping Home range Megaherbivore Remote sensing Seychelles Western Indian Ocean
类型	Article
语种	英语
国家	Seychelles ; Switzerland ; England ; Scotland
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:000486211000006
WOS关键词	COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS ; HOME-RANGE ; VEGETATION ; POPULATION ; ECOLOGY ; DESERT ; SPACE ; SIZE ; TOOL
WOS类目	Biodiversity Conservation ; Ecology ; Environmental Sciences
WOS研究方向	Biodiversity & Conservation ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/214598
作者单位	1.Seychelles Isl Fdn, La Ciotat Bldg, Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles; 2.Univ Seychelles, James Michel Blue Econ Res Inst, Anse Royale, Mahe, Seychelles; 3.Univ Zurich, Dept Evolutionary Biol & Environm Studies, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland; 4.Univ Exeter, Ctr Ecol & Conservat, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, England; 5.Univ Edinburgh, Biomed Sci, Biomed Teaching Org, Teviot Pl, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, Midlothian, Scotland
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Walton, R.,Baxter, R.,Bunbury, N.,et al. In the land of giants: habitat use and selection of the Aldabra giant tortoise on Aldabra Atoll[J],2019,28(12):3183-3198.
APA	Walton, R..,Baxter, R..,Bunbury, N..,Hansen, D..,Fleischer-Dogley, F..,...&Schaepman-Strub, G..(2019).In the land of giants: habitat use and selection of the Aldabra giant tortoise on Aldabra Atoll.BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION,28(12),3183-3198.
MLA	Walton, R.,et al."In the land of giants: habitat use and selection of the Aldabra giant tortoise on Aldabra Atoll".BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION 28.12(2019):3183-3198.