Stone, Paul A.Beshara, Andrea L.2020-04-172020-04-172009(AlmaMMSId)9973732685202196https://hdl.handle.net/11244/323897Source-sink metapopulations consist of large source subpopulations surrounded by smaller sink subpopulations where predictable migrations correlate with habitat favorability. From 1996-2003, Trachemys scripta were trapped in a permanent pond in central Oklahoma. In 2003, drought resulted in an influx of unmarked adults, presumably immigrants from nearby ephemeral ponds, suggesting a source-sink metapopulation. From 2004-2006, I sampled 14 ponds, and analyzed migration data from 1996-2003 to select among population models. My objectives were to define natural population boundaries, test the source-sink hypothesis, and estimate migration rates and population density. From 1996-2006, 18,285 captures of 2,087 turtles were recorded, including 622 migrants. The direction of migrations supported the source-sink hypothesis. Migrations were negatively correlated with inter-pond distance. Using POPAN, population density estimates from 2005 were 135 individuals/ha, compared to 364 individuals/ha from 2003. These results suggest that long-term population studies should expand sampling to include multiple ponds in order to account for migration.All rights reserved by the author, who has granted UCO Chambers Library the non-exclusive right to share this material in its online repositories. Contact UCO Chambers Library's Digital Initiatives Working Group at diwg@uco.edu for the permission policy on the use, reproduction or distribution of this material.Red-eared sliderAcademic theses(OCoLC)ocn502141922;(OCoLC)502141922