ESTIMATES OF ABUNDANCE OF BOX TURTLES (TERRAPENE CAROLINA BAURI) ON AFLORIDA ISLAND

From 1991-1993, we conducted an intensive mark-recapture study of an i sland population of Florida box turtles, Terrapene carolina bauri. We used models based on the Jolly-Seber open population model to estimate abundance, after first examining the capture histories for violations of the underlying assumptions of mark-recapture analysis with goodnes s-of-fit tests contained in the program RELEASE. Some violations were detected, resulting in low estimates. We estimated that 544 (415-672 a pproximate 95% confidence interval) adult box turtles inhabited the so uthern 36.4 ha of Egmont Key in the summer of 1993. This estimate is s imilar to those of conspecific populations studied in more northern ar eas and provides a reliable initial estimate with which to monitor pop ulation trends in the future. Adult capture probabilities ranged betwe en 0.09 and 0.30. Weekly survival probabilities for adults ranged betw een 0.94 and 1.00. There were significant differences in capture histo ries between adults and juveniles, indicating differences in survival and/or capture probabilities. Increased movement and activity of indiv iduals on the study area during two survey periods, one after a severe storm and the other during the fruiting season of a favorite food sou rce, was verified with one of the goodness-of-fit tests.