Bog Turtle Demographics within the Southern Population

Copeia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annalee M. Tutterow ◽  
Gabrielle J. Graeter ◽  
Shannon E. Pittman
PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahneal Hawke ◽  
Hayley Bates ◽  
Suzanne Hand ◽  
Michael Archer ◽  
Linda Broome

BackgroundThe Mountain Pygmy-possum (Burramys parvus) is a critically endangered marsupial, endemic to alpine regions of southern Australia. We investigated the diet of a recently discovered population of the possum in northern Kosciuszko National Park, NSW, Australia. This new population occurs at elevations well below the once-presumed lower elevation limit of 1,600 m.Goals and MethodsFaecal material was analysed to determine if dietary composition differed between individuals in the newly discovered northern population and those in the higher elevation southern population, and to examine how diet was influenced by rainfall in the southern population and seasonal changes in resource availability in the northern population.Results and DiscussionThe diet ofB. parvusin the northern population comprised of arthropods, fruits and seeds. Results indicate the diet of both populations shares most of the same invertebrate orders and plant species. However, in the absence of preferred food types available to the southern population, individuals of the northern population opportunistically consumed different species that were similar to those preferred by individuals in higher altitude populations. Differing rainfall amounts had a significant effect on diet, with years of below average rainfall having a greater percentage composition and diversity of invertebrates. Seasonal variation was also recorded, with the northern population increasing the diversity of invertebrates in their diet during the Autumn months when Bogong Moths (Agrotis infusa) were absent from those sites, raising questions about the possum’s dependence on the speciesConclusionsMeasurable effects of rainfall amount and seasonal variation on the dietary composition suggest that predicted climatic variability will have a significant impact on its diet, potentially impacting its future survival. Findings suggest that it is likely thatB. parvusis not restricted by dietary requirements to its current pattern of distribution. This new understanding needs to be considered when formulating future conservation strategies for this critically endangered species.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ádám Z. Lendvai ◽  
Çağlar Akçay ◽  
Mark Stanback ◽  
Mark F. Haussmann ◽  
Ignacio T. Moore ◽  
...  

AbstractBiparental care presents an interesting case of cooperation and conflict between unrelated individuals. Several models have been proposed to explain how parents should respond to changes in each other’s parental care to maximize their own fitness, predicting no change, partial compensation, or matching effort as a response. Here, we present an experiment in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) in which we increased the parental care of females by presenting them, but not their mates, with additional nestling begging calls using automated playbacks. We performed this experiment in two populations differing in future breeding opportunities and thus the intensity of conflict over current parental care. We found that in response to a temporary increase in female parental effort, males in the northern population with lower sexual conflict matched the increased effort, whereas males in the southern population did not. We also found that increases in parental care during playbacks were driven by the females (i.e., females initiated the increased effort and their mates followed them) in the northern population but not the southern population. These results support the idea that with incomplete information about the brood value and need, cues or signals from the partner might become important in coordinating parental care.


1980 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
JW Penn

The microscopic and macroscopic changes which occur during ovary development to spawning have been investigated for P. larisulcatus. The latter stages (3 and 4) of development and the act of spawning have been found to be confined to single intermoult periods, with spawning being possible during each of a series of consecutive intermoult periods. Fecundity was found to vary significantly with the size of the individual, with the number of eggs ranging from approximately 105000 (123 mm total length female) to 650000 (217 mm total length female) at each spawning. The use of an index of population fecundity in combination with estimates of spawning frequency to document spawning seasons is discussed. Using the population fecundity method the two northern populations have been shown to have a year round spawning season, with maximum spawning occurring from autumn to spring. while the southern population was shown to have shorter seasons over summer. A relationship between ovary development and temperatures in excess of 17�C is suggested as the probable cause of the differences in duration of spawning seasons along the Western Australian coastline.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
William S Bugg ◽  
Gwangseok R Yoon ◽  
Alexandra N Schoen ◽  
Andrew Laluk ◽  
Catherine Brandt ◽  
...  

Abstract Temperature is one of the most important abiotic factors regulating development and biological processes in ectotherms. By 2050, climate change may result in temperature increases of 2.1–3.4°C in Manitoba, Canada. Lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, from both northern and southern populations in Manitoba were acclimated to 16, 20 and 24°C for 30 days, after which critical thermal maximum (CTmax) trials were conducted to investigate their thermal plasticity. We also examined the effects of temperature on morphological and physiological indices. Acclimation temperature significantly influenced the CTmax, body mass, hepatosomatic index, metabolic rate and the mRNA expression of transcripts involved in the cellular response to heat shock and hypoxia (HSP70, HSP90a, HSP90b, HIF-1α) in the gill of lake sturgeon. Population significantly affected the above phenotypes, as well as the mRNA expression of Na+/K+ ATPase-α1 and the hepatic glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity. The southern population had an average CTmax that was 0.71 and 0.45°C higher than the northern population at 20 and 24°C, respectively. Immediately following CTmax trials, mRNA expression of HSP90a and HIF-1α was positively correlated with individual CTmax of lake sturgeon across acclimation treatments and populations (r = 0.7, r = 0.62, respectively; P < 0.0001). Lake sturgeon acclimated to 20 and 24°C had decreased hepatosomatic indices (93 and 244% reduction, respectively; P < 0.0001) and metabolic suppression (27.7 and 42.1% reduction, respectively; P < 0.05) when compared to sturgeon acclimated to 16°C, regardless of population. Glutathione peroxidase activity and mRNA expression Na+/K+ ATPase-α1 were elevated in the northern relative to the southern population. Acclimation to 24°C also induced mortality in both populations when compared to sturgeon acclimated to 16 and 20°C. Thus, increased temperatures have wide-ranging population-specific physiological consequences for lake sturgeon across biological levels of organization.


The Condor ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 110 (2) ◽  
pp. 382-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
ADRIAN P. MONROE ◽  
KELLY K. HALLINGER ◽  
REBECKA L. BRASSO ◽  
DANIEL A. CRISTOL

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