Tennessee Aquarium Researchers Create First Map Of North America�s Turtle Communities
Many scientists research turtles at the level of individual species or single habitats, but this study represents the first attempt to consider them on the scale of the entire continent. The map divides North America into 16 bio-geographic �provinces,� sprawling regions containing turtle species with similar or shared characteristics.
Looking at these reptiles in such a broad context, researchers determined that the provinces� borders were defined by many forces, from modern environmental factors to ancient geologic processes.
�As scientists, we need to consider all of those factors to understand why turtles are threatened, in some cases,� Dr. Ennen said. �We produced some useful maps, and I think there are numerous conservation implications for this study, eventually.�
In some cases, researchers determined that the modern distribution of turtles is the product of geological events millions of years old. For example, the study found similar turtle species to those living in the Mississippi River on the western side of Crowley�s Ridge � more than 40 miles to the west. The similarity in these otherwise isolated populations can be explained as a kind of echo from a time when the Mississippi flowed along a more westward course, Dr. Ennen said.
�I thought that was pretty cool, that you could still see that,� he said.
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