Our Keystone Species
The Gopher Tortoise | a valuable keystone species
A keystone species is a critical organism that has a disproportionately large impact on its environment relative to its abundance. The gopher tortoise exemplifies this by creating burrows that provide shelter for over 350 species, thus maintaining the biodiversity and ecological health of its habitat. Here is list of just some of the species effected in a positive way by the presence of gopher tortoises.
Mammals
- Small Mammals
- Eastern Cottontail
- Hispid Cotton Rat
- Marsh Rabbit
- Cotton Mouse
- Eastern Woodrat
- Southeastern Pocket Gopher
- Florida Mouse
- Least Shrew
- Southern Short-tailed Shrew
- Nine-banded Armadillo
- Golden Mouse
- Round-tailed Muskrat
- Woodland Vole
- Oldfield Mouse
- Eastern Mole
- Rice Rat
- Predatory Mammals
- Striped Skunk
- Raccoon
- Gray Fox
- Long-tailed Weasel
- Bobcat
- Red Fox
- Virginia Opossum
- Eastern Spotted Skunk
- American Mink
- River Otter
- Coyote
- Fisher
- Domestic Cat (feral)
- Domestic Dog (feral)
- Black Bear
- Panther
Birds
- Ground-Nesting Birds
- Northern Bobwhite Quail
- Eastern Meadowlark
- Brown Thrasher
- Bachman's Sparrow
- Common Nighthawk
- Wild Turkey
- Killdeer
- Northern Flicker
- Field Sparrow
- Grasshopper Sparrow
- Savannah Sparrow
- Pine Warbler
- Eastern Kingbird
- Northern Cardinal
- Indigo Bunting
- Eastern Bluebird
- Raptors
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- American Kestrel
- Great Horned Owl
- Eastern Screech-Owl
- Barred Owl
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Bald Eagle
- Cooper's Hawk
- Broad-winged Hawk
- Swallow-tailed Kite
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Osprey
- Northern Harrier
- Turkey Vulture
- Black Vulture
- Peregrine Falcon
- Other Birds
- Wild Turkey
- Loggerhead Shrike
- Eastern Towhee
- Carolina Wren
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Mourning Dove
- Belted Kingfisher
- Blue Jay
- American Crow
- Fish Crow
- White-eyed Vireo
- Brown-headed Nuthatch
- Downy Woodpecker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Pileated Woodpecker
Reptiles
- Lizards
- Eastern Fence Lizard
- Six-lined Racerunner
- Southeastern Five-lined Skink
- Florida Scrub Lizard
- Green Anole
- Brown Anole
- Broad-headed Skink
- Ground Skink
- Little Brown Skink
- Mole Skink
- Eastern Glass Lizard
- Slender Glass Lizard
- Eastern Collared Lizard
- Eastern Earless Lizard
- Spiny Lizard
- Florida Sand Skink
- Snakes
- Eastern Indigo Snake
- Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
- Florida Pine Snake
- Eastern Coachwhip
- Garter Snake
- Corn Snake
- Black Racer
- Eastern Kingsnake
- Rough Green Snake
- Scarlet Kingsnake
- Cottonmouth
- Copperhead
- Timber Rattlesnake
- Coral Snake
- Ringneck Snake
- Rat Snake
- Other Reptiles
- Florida Box Turtle
- Gopher Tortoise (juveniles using abandoned burrows)
- Eastern Mud Turtle
- Striped Mud Turtle
- Florida Softshell Turtle
- Diamondback Terrapin
- Spotted Turtle
- Common Snapping Turtle
- Alligator Snapping Turtle
- Florida Red-bellied Cooter
- Peninsula Cooter
- Florida Chicken Turtle
- Loggerhead Musk Turtle
- Common Musk Turtle
- Eastern Spiny Softshell
- Suwannee Cooter
Amphibians
- Frogs and Toads
- Gopher Frog
- Southern Toad
- Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad
- Oak Toad
- Green Tree Frog
- Squirrel Tree Frog
- Barking Tree Frog
- Pine Woods Tree Frog
- Little Grass Frog
- Florida Cricket Frog
- Southern Cricket Frog
- American Bullfrog
- Pig Frog
- Leopard Frog
- Wood Frog
- Carpenter Frog
- Salamanders
- Eastern Tiger Salamander
- Spotted Salamander
- Marbled Salamander
- Mole Salamander
- Slimy Salamander
- Red Salamander
- Mud Salamander
- Two-lined Salamander
- Three-lined Salamander
- Four-toed Salamander
- Dwarf Salamander
- Southern Dusky Salamander
- Eastern Newt
- Striped Newt
- Flatwoods Salamander
- Hellbender
Invertebrates
- Insects
- Ant Lions
- Gopher Tortoise Skipper
- Florida Harvester Ant
- Various Beetles (dung beetles, ground beetles)
- Mole Crickets
- Velvet Ants
- Grasshoppers
- Crickets
- Katydids
- Cicadas
- Dragonflies
- Butterflies (various species)
- Moths (various species)
- Bees (various species)
- Wasps (various species)
- Termites
- Spiders and Scorpions
- Southern House Spider
- Hentz Striped Scorpion
- Trapdoor Spiders
- Wolf Spiders
- Black Widow Spider
- Brown Recluse Spider
- Jumping Spiders
- Orb-weaver Spiders
- Funnel Web Spiders
- Lynx Spiders
- Crab Spiders
- Fishing Spiders
- Huntsman Spiders
- Daddy Longlegs
- Pseudoscorpions
- Camel Spiders
- Other Invertebrates
- Centipedes
- Millipedes
- Earthworms
- Termites
- Various Grasshoppers
- Snails
- Slugs
- Sowbugs
- Pillbugs
- Earwigs
- Bristletails
- Springtails
- Velvet Worms
- Horseshoe Crabs
- Shrimp (terrestrial species)
- Isopods
Plants
- Ground Cover and Grasses
- Wiregrass
- Blazing Star
- Goldenrod
- Broom Sedge
- Dropseed
- Little Bluestem
- Sand Cordgrass
- Pineywoods Dropseed
- Indian Grass
- Switchgrass
- Lovegrass
- Bahiagrass
- Carpetgrass
- Bermuda Grass
- Hairy Grama
- Needlegrass
- Flowering Plants and Shrubs
- Gopher Apple
- Prickly Pear Cactus
- Saw Palmetto
- Tarflower
- Beautyberry
- Wireweed
- Pennyroyal
- Deerberry
- Blueberry
- Blackberries
- Gallberry
- Dog Fennel
- Winged Sumac
- Wax Myrtle
- Florida Rosemary
- Sandhill Milkweed
- Trees
- Longleaf Pine
- Turkey Oak
- Sand Live Oak
- Bluejack Oak
- Sand Pine
- Slash Pine
- Loblolly Pine
- Southern Magnolia
- Sweetgum
- Red Maple
- Eastern Red Cedar
- Bald Cypress
- Southern Red Oak
- Blackjack Oak
- Laurel Oak
- Water Oak
Fungi
- Mycorrhizal Fungi
- Various species that form symbiotic relationships with plant roots, aiding in nutrient absorption and benefiting the ecosystem health.
- Truffles
- Mushroom species supporting decomposition and nutrient cycling
- Boletes
- Chanterelles
- Amanitas
- Russulas
- Milkcaps
- Puffballs
- Morels
- Tricholomas
- Coral Fungi
- Earthstars
- Stinkhorns
- Polypores
- Bracket Fungi
- Jelly Fungi
This extensive yet not exhaustive list highlights the broad range of species that benefit from the presence of the gopher tortoise and its burrows, further illustrating the importance of this keystone species in maintaining ecological balance.
You can see how important it is to protect the gopher tortoise. By helping just one tortoise you are actually supporting the well being of over 350 other species. Please join our cause and support The Tortoise Conservancy today at savethetortoises.org/donate.