Habitat drives dispersal and survival of translocated juvenile desert tortoises

In spite of growing reliance on translocations in wildlife conservation, translocation efficacy remains inconsistent. One factor that can contribute to failed translocations is releasing animals into poor-quality or otherwise inadequate habitat.
Here, we used a targeted approach to test the relationship of habitat features to post-translocation dispersal and survival of juvenile Mojave desert tortoises Gopherus agassizii.
We selected three habitat characteristics – rodent burrows, substrate texture (prevalence and size of rocks) and washes (ephemeral river beds) – that are tied to desert tortoise ecology. At the point of release, we documented rodent burrow abundance, substrate texture and wash presence and analysed their relationship to the maximum dispersal. We also documented the relative use by each individual for each habitat characteristic and analysed their relationships with survival and fatal encounters with a predator in the first year after release.
In general, the presenc...