Physiological Ecology of Overwintering in the Hatchling Painted Turtle: Multiple‐Scale Variation in Response to Environmental Stress

Costanzo, Jon P.; Dinkelacker, Stephen A.; Iverson, John B.; Lee, Richard

doi:10.1086/378141

Cited by 40 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 119 publications

(156 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This finding is in contrast to the idea that smaller hatchlings should remain in-nest because they are likely to have increased supercooling abilities (Costanzo et al, 2004). Ice nucleation occurs when water molecules form ice in an organism (Rasmussen and Mackenzie, 1973), and the probability of ice nucleation increases with fluid volume (Vali, 1995).…”

Section: Potential Benefits To Hatchlingsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…In contrast, Costanzo et al (Costanzo et al, 2004) theorized that smaller hatchlings might supercool more readily, and thus survive lower sub-freezing temperatures, because the likelihood of lethal freezing increases with fluid volume. The nest environment also affects hatchling overwinter survival; for example, winter mortality is greatest when temperatures are lowest and soil moisture is highest (Storey et al, 1988;Costanzo et al, 2000;Costanzo et al, 2001;Costanzo et al, 2004). Autumn emergence could be to avoid a direct mortality threat; for instance, nest infestation by sarcophagid fly larvae (Tripanurga importuna) may stimulate emergence (Warkentin, 1995;Bolton et al, 2008;Spencer and Janzen, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Larger hatchling size confers greater overwintering survival , perhaps because larger hatchlings have more liver and carcass mass, the tissues used by hatchlings to support the energetic costs of overwintering (Muir et al, 2013). In contrast, Costanzo et al (Costanzo et al, 2004) theorized that smaller hatchlings might supercool more readily, and thus survive lower sub-freezing temperatures, because the likelihood of lethal freezing increases with fluid volume. The nest environment also affects hatchling overwinter survival; for example, winter mortality is greatest when temperatures are lowest and soil moisture is highest (Storey et al, 1988;Costanzo et al, 2000;Costanzo et al, 2001;Costanzo et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relative frequency of these two overwintering strategies varies temporally and geographically (Costanzo et al, 2008;Gibbons, 2013;Lovich et al, in press), but autumn emergence and subsequent assumed aquatic overwintering has been documented throughout the species' range (Finneran, 1948;Ernst, 1971;Christiansen and Gallaway, 1984;St. Clair and Gregory, 1990;DePari, 1996;Rozycki, 1998;Waye and Gillies, 1999;Pappas et al, 2000;Costanzo et al, 2004;Carroll and Ultsch, 2007). In order to examine variation in overwintering strategy, our study had multiple objectives.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Potential sources of intra-population variation in painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) hatchling overwintering strategy

Riley

Tattersall

Litzgus

2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many temperate animals spend half their lives in a non-active, overwintering state, and multiple adaptations have evolved to enable winter survival. One notable vertebrate model is Chrysemys picta, whose hatchlings display dichotomous overwintering strategies: some hatchlings spend their first winter aquatically after nest emergence in the autumn, whereas others overwinter terrestrially within their natal nest with subsequent emergence in the spring. The occurrence of these strategies varies among populations and temporally within populations; however, factors that determine the strategy employed by a nest in nature are unknown. We examined potential factors that influence intra-population variation in the overwintering strategy of C. picta hatchlings over two winters in Algonquin Park, Ontario. We found that environmental factors may be a trigger for the hatchling overwintering strategy: autumn-emerging nests were sloped towards the water and were surrounded by a relatively higher percentage of bare ground compared with spring-emerging nests. Autumnemerging hatchlings were also relatively smaller. Overwintering strategy was not associated with clutch oviposition sequence, or mammalian or avian predation attempts. Instead, autumn emergence from the nest was associated with the direct mortality threat of predation by sarcophagid fly larvae. Body condition and righting response, measured as proxies of hatchling fitness, did not differ between overwintering strategies. Costs and benefits of overwintering aquatically versus terrestrially in hatchling C. picta are largely unknown, and have the potential to affect population dynamics. Understanding winter survival has great implications for turtle ecology, thus we emphasize areas for future research on dichotomous overwintering strategies in temperate hatchling turtles.

show abstract

Section: Potential Benefits To Hatchlingsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Potential sources of intra-population variation in painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) hatchling overwintering strategy

Riley

Tattersall

Litzgus

2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Where snow cover is routinely sparse and winters severe, temperatures can be, but are not necessarily, extreme. At a given study site, thermal minima within C. picta nests can vary by 10°C or more, reflecting differences in nest depth, slope, aspect, patchiness of snow cover, and other physiognomic factors (Costanzo et al, 2004;Weisrock and Janzen, 1999). A common but erroneous perception is that all hibernators must endure a single, winter-long bout of extreme cold.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Avoidance and tolerance of freezing in ectothermic vertebrates

Costanzo

Lee

2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

114

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ectothermic vertebrates have successfully colonized virtually every available ecological niche on Earth, some thriving in seasonally or continuously cold habitats at high latitudes and altitudes. In this commentary we briefly discuss adaptations of these animals to survive exposure to subzero temperatures and, in certain cases, the freezing of their body fluids.Excepting certain polar fishes, which swim in ice-laden waters, most aquatic species occupy habitats that are relatively warm. Accordingly, we here focus on terrestrial species whose body temperature (T b ) may fall appreciably below the equilibrium freezing/melting point (T Feq ) of their body fluids. Some of the key tenets of cold hardiness are best illustrated from invertebrates, which are more extensively researched than higher taxa. However, we liberally reference two of the best-studied and most cold-hardy vertebrates. The wood frog (Rana sylvatica), the most northerly distributed of North American amphibians, occurs within the Arctic Circle. Throughout its range, this species overwinters beneath forest duff where it encounters subzero cold but nevertheless survives the freezing of its tissues. The painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is a cold-adapted reptile that ranges to within 7° latitude of the Arctic Circle. Hatchlings of this species commonly overwinter within the natal nest, only 5-10cm below the ground surface, but can survive chilling to temperatures as low as −4°C in the frozen state or −15°C by avoiding freezing. Winter thermal environmentAmong cold-hardy organisms, capacity for cold tolerance is tuned to the temperatures and exposure durations that a given species encounters within its habitat (Addo-Bediako et al., 2000). Thermal conditions in winter refugia vary markedly, the intensity and frequency of chilling excursions increasing with altitude and latitude, and decreasing with any insulation afforded by the microenvironment. In temperate regions, frogs overwintering on the forest floor may encounter minima of −5 or −7°C (MacArthur and Dandy, 1982;Schmid, 1982), although more severe chilling can occur in northerly regions. Temperatures ranging between −1 and −4°C were recorded in grass tussocks harboring European common lizards, Lacerta vivipara, during particularly cold periods with little snow cover (Grenot et al., 2000). Where snow cover is routinely sparse and winters severe, temperatures can be, but are not necessarily, extreme. At a given study site, thermal minima within C. picta nests can vary by 10°C or more, reflecting differences in nest depth, slope, aspect, patchiness of snow cover, and other physiognomic factors (Costanzo et al., 2004;Weisrock and Janzen, 1999). A common but erroneous perception is that all hibernators must endure a single, winter-long bout of extreme cold. The more accurate scenario, especially for animals using wellinsulated refugia, is for the temperature to hover near 0°C for extended periods that may (or may not) be punctuated by brief (i.e. hours to days) excursions to slightly lower temperatures be...

show abstract

Coping with Thermal Challenges: Physiological Adaptations to Environmental Temperatures

Tattersall

Sinclair

Withers

et al. 2012

Comprehensive Physiology

291

225

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Temperature profoundly influences physiological responses in animals, primarily due to the effects on biochemical reaction rates. Since physiological responses are often exemplified by their rate dependency (e.g., rate of blood flow, rate of metabolism, rate of heat production, and rate of ion pumping), the study of temperature adaptations has a long history in comparative and evolutionary physiology. Animals may either defend a fairly constant temperature by recruiting biochemical mechanisms of heat production and utilizing physiological responses geared toward modifying heat loss and heat gain from the environment, or utilize biochemical modifications to allow for physiological adjustments to temperature. Biochemical adaptations to temperature involve alterations in protein structure that compromise the effects of increased temperatures on improving catalytic enzyme function with the detrimental influences of higher temperature on protein stability. Temperature has acted to shape the responses of animal proteins in manners that generally preserve turnover rates at animals' normal, or optimal, body temperatures. Physiological responses to cold and warmth differ depending on whether animals maintain elevated body temperatures (endothermic) or exhibit minimal internal heat production (ectothermic). In both cases, however, these mechanisms involve regulated neural and hormonal over heat flow to the body or heat flow within the body. Examples of biochemical responses to temperature in endotherms involve metabolic uncoupling mechanisms that decrease metabolic efficiency with the outcome of producing heat, whereas ectothermic adaptations to temperature are best exemplified by the numerous mechanisms that allow for the tolerance or avoidance of ice crystal formation at temperatures below 0°C. © 2012 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 2:2151‐2202, 2012.

show abstract

Physiological Ecology of Overwintering in the Hatchling Painted Turtle: Multiple‐Scale Variation in Response to Environmental Stress

Cited by 40 publications

References 119 publications

Potential sources of intra-population variation in painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) hatchling overwintering strategy

Potential sources of intra-population variation in painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) hatchling overwintering strategy

Avoidance and tolerance of freezing in ectothermic vertebrates

Coping with Thermal Challenges: Physiological Adaptations to Environmental Temperatures

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About