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Pond Turtle (pond + turtle)
Selected AbstractsFactors affecting the predation of otter (Lutra lutra) on European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis)JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 2 2006J. Lanszki Abstract In this case study, the ecological background of an unusual hunting behaviour was investigated, when otters Lutra lutra preyed upon European pond turtles Emys orbicularis in a Hungarian fish pond system during an 18-month period. Predation on turtle was found only during cold periods (established by spraint analysis and also by the collection of 182 turtle carcasses in 2003). The relationship was not close between fish availability and turtle consumption (rP=,0.325, P=0.19). The crude protein content of the turtle head and leg was higher than that of fish, frog and turtle body, whereas the energy content of the samples was similar. The mean body weight of the killed turtles (460 g) fell within the range of the optimal prey size of the otter. Turtles were used as cache foods by otters during extreme environmental conditions (as in the long winter), but occurred only rarely as buffer foods during moderate winter. In fish ponds, the conservation of the coexistent otter and turtle depends on pond management. The maintenance of a higher fish availability in ponds during winter makes it possible to avoid the need to acquire a proper hunting technique on turtle, indicated by the scarcity of primary fish food. [source] Nuclear gene phylogeography reveals the historical legacy of an ancient inland sea on lineages of the western pond turtle, Emys marmorata in CaliforniaMOLECULAR ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2010PHILLIP Q. SPINKS Abstract The historical biogeography of California's taxa has been the focus of extensive research effort. The western pond turtle (Emys marmorata) is an example of a wide-ranging taxon that spans several well-known California diversity hotspots. Using a dataset comprised of one mitochondrial and five nuclear loci, we elucidate the major biogeographic patterns of the western pond turtle across the California landscape. By employing a combination of phylogenetic and network-based approaches, we recovered a relatively ancient (c. 2,8 Ma) north/south split among populations of E. marmorata and find an area of intergradation centred in the Central Coast Ranges of California. In addition, discordant mitochondrial/nuclear genetic patterns suggest subsequent gene flow from northern populations and from San Joaquin Valley populations into the Central Coast Ranges after the Pliocene-Pleistocene marine embayment of the Great Central Valley subsided. Our results emphasize the utility of nuclear DNA phylogeography for recovering the impact of relatively ancient biogeographic events, and suggest that the Central Coast Ranges of California have played a major role in the geographic structuring of the western pond turtle, and possibly other co-distributed taxa. [source] Analysis of Cardiac Development in the Turtle Emys orbicularis (Testudines: Emidydae) using 3-D Computer Modeling from Histological SectionsTHE ANATOMICAL RECORD : ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2010Laura M.F. Bertens Abstract In this article we present a 3-D modeling study of cardiac development in the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis (of the reptilian order Testudines). The study is aimed at elucidating the embryonic development of the horizontal septum in the ventricle and underscoring the importance of 3-D reconstructions in studying morphogenesis. Turtles possess one common ventricle, partly divided into three cava by a vertical and a horizontal septum, of which the embryonic origins have so far not been described. We used serial sectioning and computerized high-resolution 3-D reconstructions of different developmental stages to create a chronological overview of cardiogenesis, in order to study this process. This has yielded a new understanding of the development of the horizontal septum and (directly related) the looping of the heart tube. This looping is found to be markedly different from that in the human heart, with the turtle having two clear bends in the part of the heart tube leaving the primitive ventricle, as opposed to one in humans. It is this particular looping that is reponsible for the formation of the horizontal septum. In addition to our findings on the ventricular septation this study has also yielded new insights into the developmental origins of the pulmonary vein. The 3-D reconstructions were built using our platform TDR-3-D base and enabled us to study the developmental processes in specific parts of the turtle heart separately and in three dimensions, over time. The complete 3-D reconstructions have been made available to the reader via internet using our 3-D model browser application, which allows interactive viewing of the models. The browser application can be found on bio-imaging.liacs.nl/galleries/emysorbicularis/TurtleGallery.html, along with additional images of both models and histological sections and animation sequences of the models. By allowing the reader to view the material in such an interactive way, we hope to make optimal use of the new 3-D reconstruction techniques and to engage the reader in a more direct manner. Anat Rec 239:1101,1114, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] SHORT COMMUNICATION: Isolation and characterization of 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the Asian yellow pond turtle, Mauremys mutica (Cantor, 1842)AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 9 2010Yun Zhang First page of article [source] Body condition does not predict immunocompetence of western pond turtles in altered versus natural habitatsANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 3 2010N. Polo-Cavia Abstract Many authors have addressed the relationship between body condition and ecological parameters in a wide range of studies, suggesting a better fitness in those individuals with higher values of body condition. However, body size and body condition of individuals can vary significantly at the intraspecific level between geographic locations, which is usually explained by phenotypic plasticity or local adaptation. We suggest that a higher body condition per se might not be a good indicator of physiological health status, particularly when comparing populations inhabiting places with different levels of habitat alteration. We examined two populations of the western pond turtle Emys marmorata in the northern part of California's Central Valley, and found that individuals inhabiting a water pollution control plant located on the valley floor had significantly larger body size and higher body condition than those inhabiting an unaltered natural habitat in the foothills. However, turtles from the water pollution control plant did not show a better health status, estimated by comparisons between two immune system variables: T-cell-mediated immune response and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio. Parameters such as body size and body condition might be misleading indicators of health condition, particularly when they are used to estimate health status of populations from habitats with different levels of alteration. We emphasize the importance of using physiological methods in assessing the conservation state of wildlife populations, rather than relying on biometric indices that might miss important effects of alteration. [source] Conservation diagnosis of reintroducing Mediterranean pond turtles: what is wrong?ANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 6 2009A. Bertolero Abstract The presence of the Mediterranean pond turtle Mauremys leprosa in the Ebre Delta (Catalonia, north-east Spain) is well documented after the late 1970s, when the first reptile distribution lists were published. Owing to the fact that the species was considered scarce, a reintroduction programme based on the release of individuals at sites with potential habitat suitability was launched. From 1999 to 2001, 234 turtles of different ages were released and subsequently monitored until 2007, in order to make a conservation diagnosis using five assessment criteria. These criteria were body condition, individual growth, reproduction, survival and population growth rate. Despite the relatively large number of turtles released, no viable population resulted from the programme. Assessment criteria suggested that: (1) released individuals showed good physical condition and satisfactory growth (the only positive results); (2) reproduction was almost absent; (3) local survival was reduced compared with that of Spanish wild populations of the species; (4) temporary emigration was high; (5) the growth rate of the population was negative. In conclusion, the results suggested that the habitat at the Ebre Delta marshes may not be favourable to the species, and that the scarce historical data record may indicate a relatively low-quality habitat; the few records may correspond to individuals dispersing from the river, a more suitable habitat. Thus, we conclude that historically scarce records may be the result of natural patchiness and heterogeneous distributions, and they are not necessarily a good indicator of relict, decimated populations. Good assessment criteria, as those proposed and used here, are necessary tools to assess results in reintroduction projects to recover endangered chelonian populations. [source] | ||||||||||