Myuchelys georgesi (Cann 1997) – Bellinger River Turtle.

Cann, J. H.; Spencer, Ricky John; Welsh, Michael; Georges, Arthur

doi:10.3854/crm.5.091.georgesi.v1.2015

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In 2015, a novel nidovirus of unknown origin, now named Bellinger River virus (BRV), was apparently responsible for mass mortality of Bellinger River snapping turtles ( Myuchelys georgesi ) in the Bellinger River, New South Wales (NSW), Australia (Jakob‐Hoff et al, ; Moloney, Britton, & Matthews, ; Zhang et al, ). Myuchelys georgesi (Figure a) is a moderate‐sized, omnivorous, short‐necked chelid turtle (maximum carapace length 240 mm) with an historical distribution confined to approximately 70 km of the Bellinger River and a short length of its major tributary the Kalang River (Allanson & Georges, ; Blamires, Spencer, King, & Thompson, ; Cann, ; Cann, Spencer, Welsh, & Georges, ). Since the mass mortality, it has been formally declared critically endangered by the NSW and Australian governments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On a razor's edge: Status and prospects of the critically endangered Bellinger River snapping turtle, Myuchelys georgesi

Chessman

Ruming

Jones

et al. 2020

Aquatic Conservation

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In the summer and autumn of 2015, the Bellinger River snapping turtle (Myuchelys georgesi), a narrow‐range endemic of eastern New South Wales, Australia, suffered mass mortality from epidemic disease, apparently caused by a previously unknown virus. Information on the current population size and structure of M. georgesi, and the body condition and growth of the surviving individuals, is needed to support planning of conservation actions. Population estimates are also needed for a sympatric population of the widely distributed Macquarie turtle (Emydura macquarii), which has probably been introduced to the Bellinger River and may threaten the persistence of M. georgesi through hybridization, competition, and disease transmission. Data from five turtle surveys between November 2015 and November 2018 were used to estimate populations of the two species in the Bellinger River by an analysis based on habitat extent and turtle detectability. Changes in the body condition of M. georgesi and the body growth of both species were also assessed. Current populations of ~150 M. georgesi and ~500 E. macquarii are indicated, although the uncertainty of these estimates is high. The estimate for M. georgesi represents a decline of >90% from the historical population. Moreover, about 88% of the surviving M. georgesi are immature, and only about 5% are mature females. However, the body condition of the survivors has improved recently. Growth models suggest that M. georgesi matures later than E. macquarii, which may provide the latter with a competitive advantage. Evidence presented here does not support a previous hypothesis that M. georgesi were predisposed to disease through malnutrition and consequently reduced immune competence caused by high water temperatures and low river flows. Continuing disease, hybridization, and interspecific competition are probably the greatest threats to the persistence of the species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On a razor's edge: Status and prospects of the critically endangered Bellinger River snapping turtle, Myuchelys georgesi

Chessman

Ruming

Jones

et al. 2020

Aquatic Conservation

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“…Here, we present a case study from north-eastern New South Wales (NSW), Australia, where a strong community response to a significant localised mass mortality event affecting the only known population of Myuchelys georgesi (Cann, 1997) (a.k.a, Bellinger River snapping turtle) identified a publicly perceived link between turtle mortality and poor water quality. On the advice of researchers from Western Sydney University OzGREEN (Global Rivers Environmental Education Network Australia Inc.), an Australiabased non-government organisation initiated a partnership with the Citizen Science Unit in the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) in 2016.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can citizen science inform science? Evaluating the results of the Bellingen Riverwatch citizen science program and a complimentary government monitoring program

Dickson,

Belmer,

Denshire

et al. 2024

Front. Environ. Sci.

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In 2015, the sudden decline in the only known population of Myuchelys georgesi (the Bellinger River snapping turtle) triggered a strong community response, and a link between turtle mortality and poor water quality in the Bellinger River was suggested. A multi-agency investigation later attributed the mortalities of M. georgesi to a novel virus (the Bellinger River virus) and not a direct effect of poor water quality. However, a lack of consistent water quality or river health data in the catchment limited the research of factors that may have heightened susceptibility to the virus or exacerbated its symptoms. Community consultation identified strong connections with the riverine environment and highlighted the cultural, social, economic, and environmental values of the Bellinger River catchment. In 2017 OzGREEN, a not-for-profit environmental education charity based in Bellingen, built upon their existing citizen science water quality monitoring program in collaboration with the Saving our Species (SoS) team in the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), who provided funding and equipment and solicited the involvement of NSW Waterwatch, Western Sydney University and Taronga Zoo. Now known as Bellingen Riverwatch (Riverwatch), the program has become a long-term citizen science program that aims to assist the recovery of M. georgesi, now a critically endangered species, through the delivery of monthly water quality data covering the Bellinger River and its tributaries. SoS also engaged the DPE Estuaries and Catchments Team to commence the Bellinger River Health Program (BRHP), focusing on water quality and aquatic macroinvertebrates to assess river health, with the aim of providing scientifically rigorous data to support the management and recovery of M. georgesi. This case study compares and evaluates the Riverwatch citizen science and the BRHP professional science, examining methods and results to compare the accuracy of the citizen science data and assess its reliability for informing ongoing river management. The results demonstrate that Bellingen Riverwatch is a well-managed citizen science program and generally provides valid, accurate, and representative results that can be confidently used to enhance the spatial and temporal coverage of the professional science monitoring program.

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“…In 2015, a possible extinction event in another Australian turtle, Myuchelys georgesi , in less than a month (Cann et al. ), highlighted just how fragile some Australian turtle populations have become.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ethological trap: functional and numerical responses of highly efficient invasive predators driving prey extinctions

Spencer

Dyke

Thompson

2016

Ecological Applications

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Ecological traps are threats to organisms, and exist in a range of biological systems. A subset of ecological trap theory is the "ethological trap," whereby behaviors canalized by past natural selection become traps when environments change rapidly. Invasive predators are major threats to imperiled species and their ability to exploit canalized behaviors of naive prey is particularly important for the establishment of the predator and the decline of the native prey. Our study uses ecological theory to demonstrate that invasive predator controls require shifts in management priorities. Total predation rate (i.e., total response) is the product of both the functional response and numerical response of predators to prey. Functional responses are the changes in the rate of prey consumption by individual predators, relative to prey abundance. Numerical responses are the aggregative rates of prey consumption by all predators relative to prey density, which change with predator density via reproduction or migration, in response to changes in prey density. Traditional invasive predator management methods focus on reducing predator populations, and thus manage for numerical responses. These management efforts fail to manage for functional responses, and may not eliminate impacts of highly efficient individual predators. We explore this problem by modeling the impacts of functional and numerical responses of invasive foxes depredating imperiled Australian turtle nests. Foxes exhibit exceptionally efficient functional responses. A single fox can destroy >95% of turtle nests in a nesting area, which eliminates juvenile recruitment. In this case, the ethological trap is the "Arribada" nesting strategy, an emergent behavior whereby most turtles in a population nest simultaneously in the same nesting grounds. Our models show that Arribada nesting events do not oversaturate foxes, and small numbers of foxes depredate all of the nests in a given Arribada. Widely scattering nests may reduce fox predation rates, but the long generation times of turtles combined with their rapid recent decline suggests that evolutionary responses in nesting strategy may be unlikely. Our study demonstrates that reducing populations of highly efficient invasive predators is insufficient for preserving native prey species. Instead, management must reduce individual predator efficiency, independent of reducing predator population size.

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Myuchelys georgesi (Cann 1997) – Bellinger River Turtle.

Cited by 5 publications

References 22 publications

On a razor's edge: Status and prospects of the critically endangered Bellinger River snapping turtle, Myuchelys georgesi

On a razor's edge: Status and prospects of the critically endangered Bellinger River snapping turtle, Myuchelys georgesi

Can citizen science inform science? Evaluating the results of the Bellingen Riverwatch citizen science program and a complimentary government monitoring program

The ethological trap: functional and numerical responses of highly efficient invasive predators driving prey extinctions

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