scholarly journals Tradeoffs with Growth and Behavior for Captive Box Turtles Head-Started with Environmental Enrichment

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sasha Tetzlaff ◽  
Jinelle Sperry ◽  
Brett DeGregorio

Head-starting is a conservation strategy that entails releasing captive-reared animals into nature at sizes large enough to better resist post-release predation. However, efforts to maximize growth in captivity may jeopardize development of beneficial behaviors. Environmental enrichment can encourage natural behaviors before release but potentially comes with a tradeoff of reduced growth in complex enclosures. We compared growth and behavior of enriched and unenriched captive-born juvenile box turtles (Terrapene carolina). Enriched turtles grew slower than unenriched turtles during the first eight months in captivity, although growth rates did not differ between treatments from 9–20 months old. After five months post-hatching, unenriched turtles became and remained larger overall than enriched turtles. During two foraging tasks, unenriched turtles consumed more novel prey than enriched turtles. In a predator recognition test, eight-month-old enriched turtles avoided raccoon (Procyon lotor) urine more than unenriched turtles of the same age, but this difference was not apparent one year later. The odds of turtles emerging from a shelter did not differ between treatments regardless of age. Although our results suggest turtles raised in unenriched environments initially grew faster and obtained larger overall sizes than those in enriched conditions, tradeoffs with ecologically-relevant behaviors were either absent or conditional.

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett A. DeGregorio ◽  
Tracey D. Tuberville ◽  
Robert A. Kennamer ◽  
Bess B. Harris ◽  
I. Lehr Brisbin

Many organisms spend considerable time in dormancy to avoid stressful environmental conditions. Understanding the timing and triggers of dormancy behavior is critical for understanding an animal’s life history and behavior. Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina (L., 1758)) avoid winter temperatures by burrowing into the soil and remaining dormant. Identifying the proximate environmental cues that trigger emergence can improve conservation efforts by reducing potential aboveground turtle mortality. During a 17-year study, half of all variation in emergence timing was attributed to individual variation and the habitat that they occupied during dormancy. We suggest that individual variation in emergence timing is common within populations and confounds efforts to identify reliable emergence cues. Additionally, the scale of meteorological data limits the ability to identify emergence predictors. Using data from temperature loggers placed at dormancy locations, we found that surface air temperatures, averaged over the 5 days prior to emergence, were more strongly related to emergence probability than any variables derived from local weather stations. Turtles generally did not emerge from dormancy until the 5-day mean surface temperatures measured at dormancy sites reached approximately 15 °C. Our results suggest that individuals respond differently to environmental thresholds for emergence and individuals may be characterized as risk-taking or risk-aversive.


2015 ◽  
Vol 175 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 218-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Sim ◽  
Terry M. Norton ◽  
Ellen Bronson ◽  
Matthew C. Allender ◽  
Nancy Stedman ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Mansur

Ecological studies on the Nepenthes species at Barito Ulu, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia were conducted between August 2005 and September 2006. Surveys and two small plot inventories were used to determine the diversity and population of Nepenthes at the study site. We found eight Nepenthes species around the BaritoUlu study area: N. albomarginata, N. ampullaria, N. gracilis, N. hirsuta, N. rafflesiana, N. reinwardtiana, N. stenophylla, and N. hispida. Plot A was dominated by N. rafflesiana with one other species found; whilst in plot B we found five species but it was also dominated by N. rafflesiana. In plot A, the one year stem length growth rate of N. albomarginata was faster than N. rafflesiana (5.0 and 3.5 cm respectively). While in plot B, N. gracilis (21.7 cm) and N. reinwardtiana (13.1 cm) showed faster growth rates than N. albomarginata (5.2 cm), N. rafflesiana (7.0 cm) and N. stenophylla (8.5 cm). Generally, the habitat of Nepenthes in the study site is heath forest.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 476 ◽  
Author(s):  
CATALDO PIERRI ◽  
PAOLO COLANGELO ◽  
MICHELA DEL PASQUA ◽  
CATERINA LONGO ◽  
ADRIANA GIANGRANDE

Filter feeding invertebrates are a relevant component of fouling assemblages with a pivotal role in ecological processes, since they improve water quality, enhance habitat heterogeneity and transfer organic matter from the water column to the benthos. They modulate the availability of resources to other species, with effects on the density and behavior of the surrounding macrofauna. The fanworm Sabella spallanzanii, one of the largest and most abundant Mediterranean filter feeders, provides a shelter for predation and a secondary substrate for algae and settlement for sessile invertebrates. We tested its role in driving the structure of fouling assemblages, through a removal experiment.The experiment was one-year-long, with four sampling times. The effect of the removal on the fouling community was marginal in terms of species richness and evenness, while the biomass showed important differences, with a constant increase over time with higher values in the samples containing S. spallanzanii. At the end of observations, the biomass reached the value of 3917 g DW m-2 in controls and 2073 g DW m-2 in treatments. The empty space left by fanworms was not used by other species with similar biomasses. It is possible that the functioning of fouling communities may, in the event of loss of species, fluctuate in terms of biomass mobilization to different compartments, either towards the pelagic compartment or to the detritus chain. In systems with reduced water turnover, this by-pass can have important consequences in terms of stability and ecological balance.


1999 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 19-26
Author(s):  
R.H. Watson ◽  
R.G. Keogh ◽  
M.F. Mcdonald

Two groups (n=39) of Romney breeding ewes were maintained under the same grazing management on either endophyte-infected (E+) or endophytefree (E-) perennial ryegrass pasture for two years (1997-1998) following a one-year equilibration period. The ewes were naturally mated in March each year and ovulation rate at 1st mating was measured, and conception and the number of lambs born and weaned were recorded. All ewes were weighed monthly and lamb growth rates were determined between birth and weaning. Mean mating date was delayed by 1.8 days (P


Author(s):  
Raquel Doke ◽  
Kara Hiebert ◽  
Melanie Repella ◽  
Megan Stuart ◽  
Lauren Mumm ◽  
...  

Few studies have characterized the prevalence of intraerythrocytic parasites in free-ranging chelonian populations or their occurrence across habitats. It is hypothesized that chelonians in different habitats have different exposures to vectors and thus, differences in hemoparasite presence. This study explored the prevalence and intensity of intraerythrocytic parasites by examining blood smears from four species of Illinois turtles: wild Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii), eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) (EBT), and ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata) (OBT) and headstarted alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) (AST). Intraerythrocytic parasites were identified in all examined species except for the alligator snapping turtle. For all age classes, Blanding’s turtles had both the highest prevalence of hemoparasites and intensity of infection of all sampled species, while adult Blanding’s turtles had a significantly higher prevalence than juveniles (P<0.05). As this is the first study of hemoparasites in Illinois chelonians, further research is needed to identify the specific species of intraerythrocytic parasite, the potential vectors, and the effect these hemoparasites have on the health of chelonians.


2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 109-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Onda ◽  
Y. Nakamura ◽  
C. Takatoh ◽  
A. Miya ◽  
Y. Katsu

A study was conducted for about one year on the fate and behavior of estrogens, namely 17β-estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), and estriol (E3) in an activated sludge process of a pilot scale plant supplied with domestic sewage. A simultaneous analytical method for these three substances using LC-MS/MS was developed and applied to sewage samples. The average removal of E2 was 94.7%, while that of E3 was 96.9%. In contrast, the average removal of E1 was relatively low at 69.2% with a maximum concentration of 55.4 ng/L detected in the treated water. The theoretical values of estrogenic activity calculated from the concentrations of each natural estrogen in treated water were found to correlate with the values of estrogenic activity measured by a yeast estrogen screening assay. The effect of E2 on estrogenic activity in influent was found to be high, while that of E1 in treated water was considerably higher. In batch treatment tests on E2, E2 turned into E1 immediately after being charged. After three hours of aeration, the values of both E1 and E2 were around threshold limits. It was determined from this that E1 and E2 were substances that could be degraded by biological treatment. As the removal of E2 was found to be sufficiently high at times, optimization of operational conditions based on E1 removal should be important for reducing estrogenic activity in treated water.


2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 706-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chadwick D. Rittenhouse ◽  
Joshua J. Millspaugh ◽  
Brian E. Washburn ◽  
Michael W. Hubbard

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