Drought affects sex ratio and growth of painted turtles in a long-term study in Nebraska

Powell, Larkin A.; Dolph, Ellen; Neil, Charrissa R.

doi:10.1016/j.ecochg.2023.100072

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…The pond receives direct and indirect nutrients from cattle in the surrounding pasture. Although our anecdotal observations suggest a relatively rich source of food, [43] reported that growth of painted turtles was reduced during drought years. Densities of painted turtles in other studies ranged widely from 22 turtles/ha in New York (3 ha pond) to 827 turtles/ha in a 5.7 ha marsh in Michigan [26,[44][45][46][47].…”

Section: Population Sizementioning

confidence: 59%

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Drought Influences Annual Survival of Painted Turtles in Western Nebraska

Beard

Powell

2023

Diversity

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Aquatic habitats in the Great Plains of North America have increased risk of droughts under climate forecasts. Droughts have the potential to influence the population dynamics of pond turtles, and long-term studies are useful to assess the impact of climatic variation on turtles. We compiled twelve years of mark-recapture data for painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) captured in a pond in Keith County, Nebraska during 2005–2016 that included two periods of drought. We used a robust design analysis to investigate influences on population size, annual survival, temporary immigration, and capture probability. Estimates of the annual population size ranged from 92 (CI: 90–94) to 180 (CI: 175–186) but did not vary with drought conditions. Despite a relatively stable depth of water in our study pond, the probability of annual survival was reduced by 0.07 in females and 0.10 in males during drought years. Approximately one-fifth (temporary emigration probability: 0.19, CI = 0.16–0.23) of the population was outside the study pond at any given time. Our long-term research provides insights into the potential challenges to turtles in aquatic habitats undergoing prolonged changes in long-term climate conditions.

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Section: Population Sizementioning

confidence: 59%

“…Our study was not designed to determine the mechanism for the reduction in probability of survival. However, reduction in the rates of growth of painted turtles, documented by [43] in our study pond, suggests that competition for food resources may become stronger during drought conditions [51,52].…”

Section: Survivalmentioning

confidence: 63%