Home ranges of Fitzroy River turtles (Rheodytes leukops) overlap riffle zones: potential concerns related to river regulation

Tucker, Anton D.; Limpus, Colin J.; Priest, Toni E.; Cay, J; Glen, Christopher L.; Guarino, E. de S. G.

doi:10.1016/s0006-3207(01)00097-0

Cited by 26 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The extent to which water velocity influences habitat selection by freshwater turtles is little known (but see Reese & Welsh 1998;Donner-Wright et al 1999;Tucker et al 2001). The model explored here of micro-habitat selection based on energetic costs of position-holding was originally applied in studies of stream-dwelling fish.…”

Section: W a T E R V E L O C I T Ymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of water depth, velocity and temperature on the surfacing frequency of the bimodally respiring turtle Elseya albagula

et al. 2008

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Summary 1.We apply a cost-benefit model to investigate whether bimodal turtles change their diving behaviour in response to changing energetic costs of aerial vs. aquatic respiration. This question is significant both in the context of the evolution of specialized respiratory structures in bimodal turtles, and the ecological role of respiratory partitioning. 2. Elseya albagula is a bimodally respiring turtle that can extract oxygen from water via specialized cloacal bursae and can vary its reliance on aquatic respiration. We examined the effect of water depth, velocity and temperature on the surfacing frequency of E. albagula through analysis of submergence durations (dive length). We applied a model of resource gain maximization to predict that as the cost of surfacing increases there will be longer dives made possible by the increased reliance on aquatic respiration. Diving behaviour of juvenile turtles was recorded in a large observation tank at varying water depths (50, 100 and 150 cm) and temperatures (20, 25 and 30 ° C). Diving behaviour of adult turtles was also monitored in a flume at water velocities of 5, 15 and 30 cm s -1 . 3. Dive length significantly increased with water depth, with dives at 150 cm twofold longer than dives at 50 cm. Dive length was also significantly influenced by temperature, with shorter dives at 30 ° C than at 20 ° C. In contrast, water velocity had no effect on dive length or on the proportion of a trial adult E. albagula spent using a velocity refuge. 4. Juvenile E. albagula possess the flexibility to adjust dive length in response to changes in water depth and temperature in a manner we would expect if energy use were being optimized. We advance the proposition that the driving force for the evolution of specialized aquatic gas exchange structures in E. albagula is the reduced cost of transport to and from the surface.

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Section: W a T E R V E L O C I T Ymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2000). The extent to which water velocity influences surfacing patterns and micro‐habitat selection in freshwater turtles is poorly understood (Reese & Welsh 1998; Tucker et al . 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of water depth, velocity and temperature on the surfacing frequency of the bimodally respiring turtle Elseya albagula

et al. 2008

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“…Impacts of river regulation may be complex (Bodie, 2001) because freshwater turtles use both aquatic and terrestrial habitats during their life cycle and can be highly vagile in both water and on land (Roe & Georges, 2008;Buhlmann et al, 2009). River turtles can be habitat specialists and maintain discrete home ranges when they rely on some particular features of the habitat, such as riffle zones (Tucker et al, 2001). Other species undergo large migrations to breed or forage (Fachín-Teránet, Vogt & Thorbjarnarson, 2006;Seminoff & Jones, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement and habitat use of Australia's largest snake‐necked turtle: implications for water management

2012

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Hydrological regimes strongly influence ecological processes in river basins. Yet, the impacts of management regimes are unknown for many freshwater taxa in highly regulated rivers. We used radio‐telemetry to monitor the movement and activity of broad‐shelled river turtles Chelodina expansa to infer the impact of current water management practices on turtles in Australia's most regulated river – the Murray River. We radio‐tracked C. expansa to (1) measure the range span and examine the effect of sex, size and habitat type on turtle movement, and (2) examine habitat use within the river channel and its associated backwaters. C. expansa occupied all macro habitats in the river (main channel, backwater, swamp and connecting inlets). Within these habitats, females occupied discrete home ranges, whereas males moved up to 25 km. The extensive movement of male turtles suggests that weirs and other aquatic barriers may interfere with movement and dispersal. Turtles regularly move between backwaters and the main river channel, which highlights the likely disturbance from backwater detachment, a water saving practice in the lower Murray River.

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“…However, Australian turtles are poorly researched and often neglected in terms of riverine management (Tucker 1999). Large-scale habitat modification associated with water infrastructure development has caused concern for restricted, specialised Australian river turtles such as Elseya spp.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large-scale habitat modification associated with water infrastructure development has caused concern for restricted, specialised Australian river turtles such as Elseya spp. (''Conservation Concern'', Queensland Government: Hamann et al 2007) and the monotypic Rheodytes leukops (''Vulnerable' ', IUCN 2010: Tucker et al 2001 and Elusor macrurus (''Endangered' ', IUCN 2010: Clark et al 2009). Although impoundments are also likely to present barriers to contemporary freshwater turtle migration, there is little current data on population genetic structure and connectivity for most freshwater turtle species, and consequently, potential evolutionary impacts of anthropogenic reduced dispersal cannot be assessed.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Twenty-nine microsatellite markers for two Australian freshwater turtles, Elseya albagula and Emydura macquarii krefftii: development from 454-sequence data and utility in related taxa

Todd

Blair

Hamann

et al. 2011

Conservation Genet Resour

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454 shotgun sequencing was used to identify thousands of in silico microsatellite loci from two Australian freshwater turtle species (Pleurodira, Chelidae), Elseya albagula and Emydura macquarii krefftii. Twenty-nine polymorphic microsatellites were subsequently developed and tested as markers, 15 for E. m. krefftii and 14 for E. albagula. The former marker set showed greater allelic richness (mean N A = 7.7, range 3-15) than the latter (mean N A = 4.4, range 2-8). Levels of expected heterozygosity were high for both marker suites (mean H E = 0.718, range 0.177-0.875; and mean H E = 0.567, range 0.317-0.827, respectively), indicating both are suitable for studies of population genetic structure, connectivity and mating systems in these taxa. Cross-species amplification in 12 other short-necked freshwater turtle taxa highlighted the potential utility of these markers in other species, notably Emydura spp., Rheodytes leukops and Elusor macrurus.

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Home ranges of Fitzroy River turtles (Rheodytes leukops) overlap riffle zones: potential concerns related to river regulation

Cited by 26 publications

References 20 publications

Effect of water depth, velocity and temperature on the surfacing frequency of the bimodally respiring turtle Elseya albagula

Effect of water depth, velocity and temperature on the surfacing frequency of the bimodally respiring turtle Elseya albagula

Movement and habitat use of Australia's largest snake‐necked turtle: implications for water management

Twenty-nine microsatellite markers for two Australian freshwater turtles, Elseya albagula and Emydura macquarii krefftii: development from 454-sequence data and utility in related taxa

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