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Bushes protect tortoises from lethal overheating in arid areas of Morocco

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2012

F. LAGARDE ,
T. LOUZIZI ,
T. SLIMANI ,
H. EL MOUDEN ,
K. BEN KADDOUR ,
S. MOULHERAT  and
X. BONNET
F. LAGARDE
Affiliation:
CEBC CNRS, 79360 Villers en Bois, France
T. LOUZIZI
Affiliation:
CEBC CNRS, 79360 Villers en Bois, France Université Cadi Ayyad, Faculté des Sciences Semlalia, Laboratoire Biodiversité et dynamique des Ecosystèmes (BioDEcos), BP 2390, Marrakech 40000, Maroc
T. SLIMANI
Affiliation:
Université Cadi Ayyad, Faculté des Sciences Semlalia, Laboratoire Biodiversité et dynamique des Ecosystèmes (BioDEcos), BP 2390, Marrakech 40000, Maroc
H. EL MOUDEN
Affiliation:
Université Cadi Ayyad, Faculté des Sciences Semlalia, Laboratoire Biodiversité et dynamique des Ecosystèmes (BioDEcos), BP 2390, Marrakech 40000, Maroc
K. BEN KADDOUR
Affiliation:
Université Cadi Ayyad, Faculté des Sciences Semlalia, Laboratoire Biodiversité et dynamique des Ecosystèmes (BioDEcos), BP 2390, Marrakech 40000, Maroc
S. MOULHERAT
Affiliation:
SEE-CNRS Moulis, 09200, Moulis, France
X. BONNET*
Affiliation:
CEBC CNRS, 79360 Villers en Bois, France
*
*Correspondence: Dr Xavier Bonnet Tel: +33 5490 97879 Fax: +33 5490 96526 e-mail: [email protected]
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Summary

Arid Mediterranean regions that shelter unique biodiversity are threatened by increasing anthropogenic pressures, such as urbanization, overgrazing and climate change. In Morocco, one of the main bush species in arid areas, the jujube (Ziziphus lotus), suffers from officially promoted programmes of removal. The Moorish tortoise (Testudo graeca soussensis) is threatened by such habitat loss. Like most animals, the Moorish tortoise must navigate between microhabitats to find essential feeding resources and thermal refuges. This study combined radio-tracking of free-ranging individuals, microhabitat temperature monitoring and transects in a range of habitats. Tortoises were found to depend on the occurrence of large and relatively abundant bushes to escape lethal overheating. Thus, (1) current official encouragements for the destruction of the jujube bushes should be reappraised; (2) habitat restoration relying on replanting jujube bush should be encouraged; and (3) large-scale monitoring of critical bush densities should be used to better organize conservation plans (protection and/or restoration of areas) for the Moorish tortoise.

Keywords

arid regionhabitat qualityhome rangelethal temperaturerefugereptilethermoregulationtortoise
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 39 , Issue 2 , June 2012 , pp. 172 - 182
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2012

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