Matthew J. Aresco, PhD

Conservation Director Nokuse Plantation 13292 Co. Highway 3280 Bruce, FL 32455 aresco@lakejacksonturtles.org phone: (850) 585-5415 fax: (850) 267-4960   Dissertation Research Other Current Research Publications Curriculum Vitae Links to My Other Pages:  Lake Jackson Ecopassage Southeastern Herp Photos Gopher Tortoise M. S. Research Natural History Page Threats to Turtles

Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox)

My general research interests are the ecology and conservation of reptiles and amphibians, freshwater ecology, and the ecology and management of the longleaf pine ecosystem.

I am censusing populations of two species of lentic water turtles in northwestern Florida, the omnivorous yellow-bellied slider, Trachemys scripta, and the herbivorous Florida cooter, Pseudemys floridana, to determine their relative abundance and density in a variety of habitats. I am measuring habitat characteristics (e.g., water quality, productivity, and vegetative community) to determine the factors associated with variation in population density of these turtles. The factors that influence the population dynamics and abundance of turtles are of special interest because of how they in turn affect lake communities and associated food web interactions. I am also sampling littoral zone lake communities (macrophytes, algae, macroinvertebrates, small fish) to detect patterns of covariation between turtle abundance, habitat, and community composition and structure (e.g., species richness and diversity). I have set up a large-scale cage experiment in the field to test the effects of these turtles in lake communities.
 

Trachemys scripta, melanistic adult male

Pseudemys floridana, adult female

The results of this study will provide a better understanding of the ecological requirements of herbivorous turtles and the role of turtles in lake ecosystems in Florida. Grazing by herbivorous turtles is predicted to have strong effects on the abundance and diversity of vascular and nonvascular plants. Omnivorous turtles are predicted to have strong direct and indirect effects on both plant communities and populations of snails, arthropods (e.g., crayfish, insect larvae), and small fish (e.g., shiners, killifish).

The role of omnivory in regulating community structure has been the subject of recent theoretical and empirical research. Omnivores feed at multiple tropic levels and may also be habitat generalists, good colonizers, and better competitors in some habitats than species that feed on single trophic levels. Some species, such as Trachemys scripta, have an ontogenetic diet shift that may further complicate food web interactions. I will be comparing relative growth of the omnivorous slider and the herbivorous cooter in low and high vegetation lakes to learn how omnivory affects population dynamics. I will also be using an analysis of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen to determine long-term diet and trophic level differences of turtles in different habitats. How stable isotope patterns are associated with growth rates and relative abundance of omnivores and herbivores should indicate the influence of omnivory on species interactions.

Published Dissertation

Population structure, community composition, and drought-associated movements of turtles from a drying sinkhole lake in north Florida

Morphological variation of the Florida cooter (Pseudemys concinna floridana x peninsularis) from a zone of hybridization in northern Florida.

The ecological value of suburban wetlands: implications of dredging and conversion to storm water retention and effects of sediment removal on wetland  herpetofauna (collaboration with Margaret Gunzburger, for more information please visit our Sediment Removal Website)

Population status and demography of Florida softshells (Apalone ferox) and common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) in northern Florida. 

For more information on snapping turtles, please visit The Snapping Turtle Page

Research papers

Aresco, M.J. and M. S. Gunzburger. 2007. Ecology and morphology of Chelydra serpentina in northwestern Florida. Southeastern Naturalist 6:435-448.

Steen, D.A., M.J. Aresco, S.G. Beilke, B.W. Compton, E.P. Condon, C. Kenneth Dodd Jr., H. Forrester, J.W. Gibbons, J.L. Greene, G. Johnson, T.A. Langen, M.J. Oldham, D.N. Oxier, R.A. Saumure, F.W. Schueler, J.M. Sleeman, L.L. Smith, J.K. Tucker & J.P. Gibbs. 2006. Relative vulnerability of female turtles to road mortality. Animal Conservation 9:269-273.

Palis, J. G., M. J. Aresco, and S. Kilpatrick.  2006.  Breeding biology of a Florida population of Ambystoma cingulatum (Flatwoods Salamander) during a drought.  Southeastern Naturalist 5(1):1-8.

Aresco, M. J.  2005. The effect of sex-specific terrestrial movements and roads on the sex ratio of freshwater turtles. Biological Conservation 123(1):37-44.

Aresco, M. J.  2005.  Mitigation measures to reduce highway mortality of turtles and other herpetofauna at a north Florida lake. Journal of Wildlife Management 69(2):549-560.

Aresco, M. J.  2004.  Reproductive ecology of Pseudemys floridana and Trachemys scripta in northwestern Florida.  Journal of Herpetology 38(2): 89-96.

Aresco, M.J., and M. S. Gunzburger.  2004.  Effects of large-scale sediment removal on populations of herpetofauna in Florida wetlands.  Journal of Herpetology 38(2):275-279.

Aresco, M. J.  2003.  Highway mortality of turtles and other herpetofauna at Lake Jackson, Florida, USA and the efficacy of a temporary fence/culvert system to reduce road kills.  In: C. L. Irwin, P. Garrett, and K. P. McDermott (eds.), 2003 Proceedings of the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation, pp. 433-449.  Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N. C.

Aresco, M. J. and J. L. Dobie. 2000. Variation in shell arching and sexual size dimorphism of river cooters, Pseudemys concinna, from two river systems in Alabama. Journal of Herpetology 34(2): 313-317.

Aresco, M. J. 1999. Habitat structures associated with juvenile gopher tortoise burrows on pine plantations in Alabama. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 3(3):507-509.

Aresco, M. J. and C. Guyer.  1999. Growth of the tortoise Gopherus polyphemus in slash pine plantations of south-central Alabama. Herpetologica 55(4):499-506.

Aresco, M. J. and C. Guyer. 1999. Burrow abandonment by gopher tortoises in slash pine plantations of the Conecuh National Forest. Journal of Wildlife Management 63:26-35.

Aresco, M. J. and C. Guyer. 1998. Efficacy of using scute annuli to determine growth histories and age of Gopherus polyphemus in southern Alabama. Copeia 1998:1094-1100.

Aresco, M. J. 1996. Geographic variation in the morphology and lateral stripe of the green treefrog (Hyla cinerea) in the southeastern United States. American Midland Naturalist 135:293-298.

Book Chapters

Aresco, M.J.  2004.  Gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus.  In: Alabama Wildlife, Volume 3: Imperiled Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals, R. E. Mirarchi, M. A. Bailey, T. M. Haggerty, and T. L. Best (eds.), pp. 82-83.  The Univ. of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa.

Aresco, M.J.  2004.  River frog, Rana heckscheri.  In: Alabama Wildlife, Volume 3: Imperiled Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals, R. E. Mirarchi, M. A. Bailey, T. M. Haggerty, and T. L. Best (eds.), pp. 17-18.  The Univ. of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa.

Aresco, M. J., M. A. Ewert, M. S. Gunzburger, P. A. Meylan, and G. W. Heinrich.  2005.  Snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina.  In: Conservation Biology of Florida Turtles, P. A. Meylan, A. G. J. Rhodin, and P. C. H. Pritchard (eds.).  Chelonian Research Foundation, Lunenburg, MA. In Press.

Aresco, M. J.  and R. M. Shealy.  2005.  Escambia map turtle, Graptemys ernsti.  In: Conservation Biology of Florida Turtles, P. A. Meylan, A. G. J. Rhodin, and P. C. H. Pritchard (eds.).  Chelonian Research Foundation, Lunenburg, MA. In Press

Research Notes

Aresco, M.J., J. Birdsley, R. C. Fuller, M. S. Gunzburger, and J. Travis.  2003.  Pseudemys concinna concinna (Eastern river cooter).  Geographic distribution. Herpetological Review 34: 261.

Aresco, M. J.  2002.  Amphiuma means (Two-toed amphiuma).  Overland Migration.  Herpetological Review 33(4):296-297.

Aresco, M.J., M. S. Gunzburger, J. Travis.  2002.  Apalone ferox (Florida softshell).  Geographic Distribution. Herpetological Review 33(4):320.

Aresco, M.J. 2002.  Elaphe guttata guttata (Cornsnake). Geographic Distribution.  Herpetological Review 33(3): 227.

Aresco, M. J.  2000.  Siren lacertina (Greater siren).  Aestivation chamber.  Herpetological Review 32(1): 32-33.

Aresco, M. J. and R. N. Reed. 1998.  Rana capito sevosa (Dusky Gopher Frog).  Predation.  Herpetological Review 29(1):40.

Aresco, M. J. 1996.  Malaclemys  terrapin terrapin (Northern Diamondback Terrapin).  Reproduction and nest predation.  Herpetological Review 27(2):77.

Reports

Gunzburger, M. S. and M. J. Aresco.  2007.  The status of the Eastern Indigo Snake in the Florida panhandle and adjacent areas of Alabama and Georgia.  Report to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Jackson, MS.  63 pp. 

Aresco, M. J.  and F. C. James. 2005.  Ecological relationships of turtles in north Florida lakes: a study of omnivory and the structure of a lake food web.  Final Report.  Contract NG01-011, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida, 72 pp.

Palis, J. G., and M. J. Aresco. 2000. Terrestrial habitat use of the flatwoods salamander, Ambystoma cingulatum. Final report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Council of the Paper Industry for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI), Clemson, S.C.

Aresco, M. J. 2000. Populations status of the Florida softshell (Apalone ferox) and the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), in Lake Jackson, Leon County, Florida: implications for conservation and management. Report to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, FL.

Magazine and Newspaper Articles

Aresco, M. J.  2006.  Is the gopher tortoise really a protected species in Florida? Conservation views. The Tortoise Burrow (Newsletter of the Gopher Tortoise Council) 26(1):12-13.

Aresco, M. J.  2004.  Averting turtle tragedy: saving Lake Jackson’s turtle populations. National Wetlands Newsletter 26:9-12.

Aresco, M. J.  2004.  Wall-to-wall WalMarts: where will it end?  Apalachee Tortoise Feb 2004.

Aresco, M. J.  2004.  Turtles and highways: crossing the killing zone. Summer 2004 edition of Wildlife Tracks, newsletter of the Humane Society of the U.S.

Aresco, M. J.  2002.  Surviving the drought: Lake Jackson's turtles.  Florida Wildlife. March/April 2002.            

PRESENTATIONS

Aresco, M. J.  2005.   Trophic position and environmental correlates of the abundances of three turtle species in north Florida lakes.  Oral presentation at the Joint Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, and the Herpetologists' League.  Tampa, Florida, July 6-11 2005.

Aresco, M. J. and M. S. Gunzburger.  2005.   Ecology of the snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina, in northwestern Florida.  Poster presentation at the Joint Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, and the Herpetologists' League.  Tampa, Florida, July 6-11 2005.

Aresco, M. J.  2004.  The effect of sex-specific terrestrial movements and roads on the sex ratio of freshwater turtles.  Oral presentation at the Ecological Society of America Meeting, Portland, Oregon Aug 1-6 2004.

Invited Speaker, Savannah River Ecology Lab, University of Georgia, Oct 30, 2003.  Title: “From algae to alligators: omnivory and trophic structure in littoral lake food webs”.

Aresco, M. J. 2003.  Effects of road mortality on sex ratios of freshwater turtles. Oral presentation at the Gopher Tortoise Council Annual Meeting, Wekiva River State Park, Apopka, Florida, Oct 3-5 2003.

Aresco, M. J. 2003.  Highway mortality of turtles and other herpetofauna at Lake Jackson, Florida, USA and the efficacy of a temporary fence/culvert system to reduce road kills.  Oral presentation at the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation, Lake Placid, New York, Aug 24-29 2003.

Aresco, M. J.  2002.  From algae to alligators: a stable isotope analysis of a littoral lake food web in Florida.  Oral presentation at the Ecological Society of America/Society for Ecological Restoration Joint Meeting , Tucson, Arizona, Aug 5-9 2002.  

Aresco, M. J.  2002.  From algae to alligators: a stable isotope analysis of a littoral lake food web in Florida.  Oral presentation at the Joint Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, and the Herpetologist’s League.  Kansas City, Missouri, July 4-9 2002.

Aresco, M. J. and M. S. Gunzburger.  2002.  Effects of sediment removal on populations of herpetofauna in north Florida lakes.  Poster presentation at the Joint Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, and the Herpetologist’s League.  Kansas City, Missouri, July 4-9 2002.

Aresco, M. J.  2001.  Community composition, populations structure, and drought-related migration of turtles in a north Florida lake.  Oral presentation at the Joint Meetings of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles and The Herpetologist’s League.  Indianapolis, Indiana, July 27-31, 2001.

Aresco, M. J.  2001.  Community composition, populations structure, and drought-related migration of turtles in a north Florida lake.  Oral presentation at the Florida Ecological and Evolutionary Symposium, Archbold Biological Station , Lake Placid, Florida, March 30-April 1 2001.

Aresco, M. J.  2001.  Community composition, populations structure, and drought-related migration of turtles in a north Florida lake.  Oral presentation at the Florida Lake Management Society Meeting, Tallahassee, Florida, May 21-24 2001.

Gunzburger, M. S. and M. J. Aresco.  2001.  Effects of muck removal on populations of large aquatic salamanders (Siren and Amphiuma).  Oral presentation at the Florida Lake Management Society Meeting, Tallahassee, Florida, May 21-24 2001.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Education

June 1985 - B.A., English; Minor in Communications; Fairfield University, Connecticut

March 1998 - M.S., Zoology; Minor in Ecology, Auburn University, Alabama, Major Professor: Craig Guyer

    Growth and burrow abandonment of the gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, in slash pine plantations of southern Alabama

April 2005 - Ph.D., Ecology & Evolution, Florida State University, Major Professor: Frances James

    Ecological relationships of turtles in northern Florida lakes: a study of omnivory and the structure of a lake food web

Professional Experience

2002-present – Founded the Lake Jackson Ecopassage Alliance, Inc., a non-profit 501c3 charitable organization to develop broad-based public support and funding for the construction of a wildlife crossing on U.S. Highway 27 at Lake Jackson, FL.  Worked with Florida Department of Transportation and Leon County to initiate a design-feasibility study for the project.  Constructed, monitored, and maintained a temporary fence system from 2000-present to prevent turtles and other wildlife from being killed on >1 mile of US 27 at Lake Jackson.

2001-2004 - Graduate Research Assistant - Florida State University – participated in surveys of wetland habitats for species diversity and monthly surveys of freshwater littoral communities and including censuses of populations of least killifish, Heterandria formosa.  Maintained an experimental population of least killifish.

1999-2000 - Research Technician - worked under a grant co-funded by the USFWS and NCASI (a paper company consortium) to determine terrestrial habitat use of the Federally threatened flatwoods salamander, Ambystoma cingulatum, in the Apalachicola National Forest in northern Florida. Responsibilities included constructing and monitoring a drift fence and funnel trap array at a breeding pond and in the upland habitat and capturing and marking flatwoods salamanders and other reptiles and amphibians.

1998 – 2000 - Graduate Teaching Assistant, Florida State University, Department of Biological Science. Taught Advanced Invertebrate Zoology labs, Experimental Ecology labs, Animal Diversity labs, and lectured General Biology.

1999 - Research Technician - Coastal Plains Institute, Tallahassee, Florida - Worked under a Florida Department of Transportation grant to determine the effects of highway mortality on amphibians at a temporary pond in the Apalachicola National Forest.  Performed weekly monitoring of a temporary pond system including recording data on physical factors and sampling amphibians and reptiles. 

1998 - Research Technician - Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, Newton, Georgia - Coordinated a statistical analysis and interpretation of a gopher tortoise database collected over four years on the Ichauway Preserve. Assisted in various ongoing field projects on the ecology of gopher tortoises and the longleaf pine ecosystem.

1996 - 1997 - Research Technician - Gopher Tortoise Project - U.S. Forest Service, Conecuh National Forest, Alabama. Trapped tortoises to obtain life history and ecology data, surveyed burrows, GPS mapping of burrows, vegetation sampling, and habitat analysis.

1994 - 1998 - Graduate Teaching Assistant, Departments of Biology and Zoology, Auburn University. General Biology, Animal Biology, Human Biology, Environmental Biology, Mammalogy, Herpetology, Vertebrate Natural History.

Summer 1994 - Research Assistant - Connecticut DEP Wildlife Division - Northern Diamondback Terrapin Study - Determined population status of the diamondback terrapin along Long Island Sound in Connecticut. Trapped and measured terrapins and located nest sites.

Northern Diamondback Terrapin Study - Determined population status of the diamondback terrapin along Long Island Sound in Connecticut. Trapped and measured terrapins and located nest sites.

Grants 

Nongame Wildlife Grant, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 2002-2004. "Ecological relationships of the herbivorous Florida cooter (Pseudemys floridana) and the omnivorous yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys scripta) and their role in aquatic food webs in lakes of northern Florida". Project Number NG01-011.

Dissertation Research Grant, Florida State University, 2000

Graduate Student Research Grant, Graduate Fellowship Committee, Auburn University, 1996

Awards

Graduate Student Leadership Award, Florida State University, April 2005

Florida Wildlife Federation, Wildlife Conservationist of the Year, 2004.

The Humane Society of Collier County, Walter Turken Award, January 2004.

Florida Chapter of the Sierra Club, Cypress Award, “For Contributing Greatly to the Public’s Environmental Awareness”, November 2003.

Leon County Humane Society, Purple Paw Award - award presented for saving over 8000 turtles from being road-killed on U.S. Highway 27 from 2000-2003, October 2003

Florida State University Student Profiles of Service Award, November 2001 - This award is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs (Center for Civic Education and Service) recognizing individual students who demonstrate exemplary commitment to community service at campus, local, national, or international levels.

Leon County Board of County Commissioners, Certificate of Appreciation for wildlife mitigation work during the 1999-2000 dry-down of Lake Jackson, October 2001

Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year, Auburn University, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Science, 1997

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Society for Conservation Biology

Chelonian Research Foundation

Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC)

Gopher Tortoise Council

Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles

American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

The Herpetologists’ League, Inc.

The Wildlife Society

SERVICE

Lake Jackson Ecopassage Scientific Advisory Group

Lake Jackson Ecopassage Alliance, Inc. – President

Friends of Lake Jackson, Inc. – President

Peer Reviewer for Copeia, Southeastern Naturalist, Biological Conservation, Applied Herpetology, Journal of Herpetology, Journal of Wildlife Management - 2003-2005

This page updated 17 August 2006