Assessing the diet of the endangered Beale’s eyed turtle (<scp><i>Sacalia bealei</i></scp>) using faecal content and stable isotope analyses: Implications for conservation

Sung, Yik Hei; Liew, Jia Huan; Chan, Hoi Kin; Lee, Wing-Ho; Wong, Billy Ho-Fung; Dingle, Caroline; Karraker, Nancy E.; Spencer, Ricky‐John; Fong, Jonathan J.

doi:10.1002/aqc.3676

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Since the environmental microbiota is the same for these two species at Site X, we suggest that the observed fecal microbiota differences are driven by diet preferences and/or host-adapted microbes. These two turtle species have different diet preferences, with S. bealei (based on visual fecal analysis and stable isotopes) eat fruit/seeds and terrestrial insects [ 53 ], while P. megacephalum includes more aquatic resources such as crabs and mollusks [ 38 ]. For host-adapted microbes, there may be additional influences from the host (gut physiology, immune system) and microbiota (niche construction, priority effects) [ 54 ], but we are unable to differentiate them in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-scale geographic difference of the endangered Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) fecal microbiota, and comparison with the syntopic Beale’s Eyed Turtle (Sacalia bealei)

Fong,

Sung,

Ding

2024

BMC Microbiol

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Background Studies have elucidated the importance of gut microbiota for an organism, but we are still learning about the important influencing factors. Several factors have been identified in helping shape the microbiome of a host, and in this study we focus on two factors—geography and host. We characterize the fecal microbiota of the Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) and compare across a relatively fine geographic scale (three populations within an 8-km radius) and between two syntopic hosts (P. megacephalum and Sacalia bealei). Both species are endangered, which limits the number of samples we include in the study. Despite this limitation, these data serve as baseline data for healthy, wild fecal microbiotas of two endangered turtle species to aid in conservation management. Results For geography, the beta diversity of fecal microbiota differed between the most distant sites. The genus Citrobacter significantly differs between sites, which may indicate a difference in food availability, environmental microbiota, or both. Also, we identify the common core microbiome for Platysternon across Hong Kong as the shared taxa across the three sites. Additionally, beta diversity differs between host species. Since the two species are from the same site and encounter the same environmental microbiota, we infer that there is a host effect on the fecal microbiota, such as diet or the recruitment of host-adapted bacteria. Lastly, functional analyses found metabolism pathways (KEGG level 1) to be the most common, and pathways (KEGG level 3) to be statistically significant between sites, but statistically indistinguishable between species at the same site. Conclusions We find that fecal microbiota can significantly differ at a fine geographic scale and between syntopic hosts. Also, the function of fecal microbiota seems to be strongly affected by geographic site, rather than species. This study characterizes the identity and function of the fecal microbiota of two endangered turtle species, from what is likely their last remaining wild populations. These data of healthy, wild fecal microbiota will serve as a baseline for comparison and contribute to the conservation of these two endangered species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-scale geographic difference of the endangered Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) fecal microbiota, and comparison with the syntopic Beale’s Eyed Turtle (Sacalia bealei)

Fong,

Sung,

Ding

2024

BMC Microbiol

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“…Similarly, stable isotope ratios are determined by diet and can also provide information on provenance, allowing for the identification of geographic source location [48,49] and status as captive or wild animals [50,51]. Previous studies have used isotopes to distinguish between captive and wild bred fauna at high accuracies, including mink, frogs and fish [52][53][54].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining the Provenance of Traded Wildlife in the Philippines

Brandis¹,

Meagher²,

Schoppe³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The illegal wildlife trade is a significant threat to global biodiversity, often targeting already threatened species. In combating the trade, it is critical to know the provenance of the traded animal or part, to facilitate targeted conservation actions, such as education and enforcement. Here we present and compare two methods, portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and stable isotope analysis (SIA), to determine both the geographic and source provenance (captive or wild) of traded animals and their parts. Using three critically endangered, frequently illegally traded Philippine species, the Palawan forest turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis), the Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), and the Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensisis) we demonstrate that using these methods we can more accurately assign provenance using pXRF data (x ̅ = 83%), than SIA data (x ̅ = 47%). Our results indicate that these methods provide a valuable forensic tool that can be used in combating the illegal wildlife trade.

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“…Similarly, stable isotope ratios are determined by diet and can also provide information on provenance, allowing for the identification of geographic source location [ 51 , 52 ] and status as captive or wild animals [ 53 , 54 ]. Stable isotope analysis (SIA) is the measurement of ratios of different isotopes in a sample compared to natural occurrences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determining the Provenance of Traded Wildlife in the Philippines

Brandis

Meagher

Schoppe

et al. 2023

Animals

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The illegal wildlife trade is a significant threat to global biodiversity, often targeting already threatened species. In combating the trade, it is critical to know the provenance of the traded animal or part to facilitate targeted conservation actions, such as education and enforcement. Here, we present and compare two methods, portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and stable isotope analysis (SIA), to determine both the geographic and source provenance (captive or wild) of traded animals and their parts. Using three critically endangered, frequently illegally traded Philippine species, the Palawan forest turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis), the Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), and the Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensisis), we demonstrate that using these methods, we can more accurately assign provenance using pXRF data (x¯ = 83%) than SIA data (x¯ = 47%). Our results indicate that these methods provide a valuable forensic tool that can be used in combating the illegal wildlife trade.

show abstract

Assessing the diet of the endangered Beale’s eyed turtle (Sacalia bealei) using faecal content and stable isotope analyses: Implications for conservation

Cited by 4 publications

References 47 publications

Fine-scale geographic difference of the endangered Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) fecal microbiota, and comparison with the syntopic Beale’s Eyed Turtle (Sacalia bealei)

Fine-scale geographic difference of the endangered Big-headed Turtle (Platysternon megacephalum) fecal microbiota, and comparison with the syntopic Beale’s Eyed Turtle (Sacalia bealei)

Determining the Provenance of Traded Wildlife in the Philippines

Determining the Provenance of Traded Wildlife in the Philippines

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