D3139: Invertebrate diversity and abundance among Rio Grande wild turkey habitats in the Edwards plateau ecoregion

Rio Grande wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo intermedia; RGWT hereafter) require invertebrate prey to fulfill protein and energetic demands associated with critical life periods. It is important to know which habitats support abundant food sources in order to manage and protect them. In our study region, variable environmental flows provide a variety of habitat types for terrestrial, semi-aquatic, and aquatic invertebrates. This study aims to compare the abundance of invertebrates between habitat types (i.e. upland and riparian, intermittent and perennial environmental flows) as part of a broader investigation into total invertebrate forage available for RGWT.  We hypothesize more invertebrates are available for foraging RGWT in vegetation communities in the riparian corridor as opposed to upland, because of potential emerging aquatic subsidies from the river and that perennial flows would support more emerging aquatic biomass. We established two paired 40-meter transects across habitats at five sites, three on the South Llano River and two on the North Llano River within the Edwards Plateau Ecoregion of Central Texas. Each transect included three sticky traps, nine pitfall traps, and a 20-meter sweep net sample collected every 13-15 days from April – August in 2023 and 2024. We are determining taxonomic richness and relative abundances of invertebrates across the different habitat types and flow conditions. Our findings should assist land managers with strategies for implementing habitat management practices best suited for enhancing the presence of desirable invertebrate species for RGWT during critical life history stages.