Thermal biology and temperature-based habitat selection in a large aquatic ectotherm, the alligator snapping turtle, Macroclemys temminckii

Fitzgerald, Lee A.; Nelson, Ryan E.

doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2011.01.003

Cited by 27 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…At the same time (within minutes), we also measured the same variables at a randomly chosen, paired, unoccupied site. This paired approach allowed us to test for microhabitat selection among individuals at the appropriate scale of observation (Beck and Jennings 2003;Fitzgerald and Nelson 2011). At occupied and random sites, we measured percent cover of plants, woody debris, water, wet mud, and dry mud.…”

Section: Frog Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogenetic shifts in ambush-site selection of a sit-and-wait predator, the Chacoan Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)

Schalk

Fitzgerald

2015

Can. J. Zool.

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13Ontogenetic shifts in habitat use are widespread among vertebrates. These niche shifts are often 14 attributed to age-specific patterns of resource use, which are correlated with changes in 15 morphology, diet, and habitat. We examined the ontogeny of ambush site selection in a sit-and-16 wait predator, the Chacoan Horned frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli (Barrio, 1980)) in the Gran 17 Chaco ecoregion of Bolivia. We quantified covariation in microhabitat and morphological 18 variables and tested for microhabitat selection against randomly selected points. We identified an 19 ontogenetic shift in ambush site selection between adult and metamorph frogs. When compared 20 to random points, metamorphs selected a subset of available habitat, whereas adult frogs did not 21 appear to select ambush sites. Metamorphs selected ambush sites further from a pond's edge 22 with a greater proportion of dry mud, as compared to the adults. The metamorph C. cranwelli 23 may have selected ambush sites based on spatial distribution of certain size classes of prey. 24 Alternatively, metamorphs could have selected sites to minimize asymmetric agonistic 25 intraspecific interactions with adults. These mechanisms are not mutually exclusive and probably 26 occur in concert. Habitat selection and ontogenetic niche shifts by these organisms provides 27 insights as to the tradeoffs between foraging strategy and mortality risk.28

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Section: Frog Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogenetic shifts in ambush-site selection of a sit-and-wait predator, the Chacoan Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)

Schalk

Fitzgerald

2015

Can. J. Zool.

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“…Resource selection studies often focus on only a single component of a species’ environment, such as topography (Sawyer et al 2006), vegetation type (Devore et al 2016), or climatic factors (Fitzgerald and Nelson 2011). It is, however, the suite of habitat components that together constitute the overall requirements of a species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extreme drought and adaptive resource selection by a desert mammal

et al. 2020

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When animals select areas to occupy, decisions involve trade‐offs between the fitness benefits of obtaining critical resources and minimizing costs of biotic and abiotic factors that constrain their use. These processes can be more dynamic and complex for species inhabiting desert environments, where highly variable spatial and temporal distribution of precipitation can create high intra‐ and inter‐annual variability in forage conditions and water availability, and thermal constraints can differ significantly among seasons and diel periods. We examined resource selection in desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana) in Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona, USA, at multiple spatial and temporal scales to gain insight into how a desert mammal responds to variations in climatic conditions. We used resource selection functions to test topographic, forage, and environmental features among seasons and diel periods, and between non‐drought and drought conditions at the population and home‐range scale. When precipitation was average, sheep selected for topographic features that were beneficial for predator avoidance (i.e., escape terrain—steep, rugged areas with high visibility) and locations near perennial water. When drought occurred, they ranged further from preferred escape terrain and perennial water, perhaps seeking forage conditions suitable to meet their nutritional requirements. On early (April–June) and late (July–September) summer days, sheep selected for more northerly aspects and locations with lower solar radiation, and in some periods, selection for these cooler areas coincided with periods when forage covariates, proximity to perennial water, and several topographic features were uninformative in resource selection models. These choices may be necessary trade‐offs, foregoing good escape terrain and foraging areas, and access to water, for improved thermoregulation. This study highlights the importance of identifying resource selection at variable spatial and temporal scales when investigating the interrelationship between species and their environment. It provides insight into the dynamics of resource selection in desert mammals, and how they respond to constraints imposed on them by their environment. This work can serve to inform strategies for managing and conserving species living in arid environments when faced with climate change.

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“…This property holds true for all physical objects, organisms and sensors included. For aquatic ectotherms, organismal rate constants (k b ) decrease exponentially as body size increases, and species-specific relationships have been empirically defined for a number of species (e.g., [5,18,19]). On the other hand, a sensor's rate constant k s is largely determined by the mass and specific heat of its surrounding.…”

Section: Open Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where a and b are empirically derived constants (Table 1, [5,18,38,39]). Equation 2 was used to simulate body temperature using the organism-specific k b with T 0 of 20 °C and T e of 10 °C.…”

Section: Body Temperature Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the past few decades, biotelemetry studies have generated in situ measurements of body temperature response to environmental temperatures [1,2], providing insights into thermoregulatory abilities [3,4], mechanisms [5,6] and strategies [7,8]. Characterizations of thermoregulation can be used to determine habitat availability [9,10], behavior [11,12] and vulnerability to climate change [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantifying the effects of sensor coatings on body temperature measurements

Snyder

Franks

2016

Anim Biotelemetry

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Background: A characterization of an organism's thermoregulatory ability informs our understanding of its physiology, ecology and behavior. Biotelemetry studies on thermoregulation increasingly rely on in situ body temperature measurements from surgically implanted data loggers. To protect the organism and the instrument, the electronics and the temperature sensor are often encased in non-conductive materials prior to insertion into the organism. These materials thermally insulate the sensor, thus potentially biasing temperature measurements to suggest a greater degree of thermoregulation than is actually the case. Results:Here we present methodology to quantify and correct for the effect of sensor coatings on temperature measurements by data recording tags. We illustrate these methods using Wildlife Computer's Mk9 archival tag, field data from the peritoneal cavity of a juvenile albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) and simulated data of several species of ectotherms (fish: Hemitripterus americanus, Catostomus commersoni and Maxostoma macrolepidotum; reptiles: Macroclemys temminckii, Varanus spp.), ranging in size from 10 to 1000 g. Mk9 tags had rate constants (measures of the sensor's ability to respond to changes in temperature) of 1.79 ± 0.06 and 0.81 ± 0.07 min −1 for the external and internal sensors, respectively. The higher rate constant of the external sensor produced smaller errors than the internal sensor. Yet, both sensors produced instantaneous errors of over 1 °C for all species tested, with the exception of T. alalunga. Conclusions:The effect of sensor coatings on body temperature measurements is shown to depend on the relative values of the sensor's and the organism's rate constant and the rate of change of environmental temperature. If the sensor's rate constant is lower than that of the organism, the temperature measurements will reflect the thermal properties of the sensor rather than the organism.

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Thermal biology and temperature-based habitat selection in a large aquatic ectotherm, the alligator snapping turtle, Macroclemys temminckii

Cited by 27 publications

References 25 publications

Ontogenetic shifts in ambush-site selection of a sit-and-wait predator, the Chacoan Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)

Ontogenetic shifts in ambush-site selection of a sit-and-wait predator, the Chacoan Horned Frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)

Extreme drought and adaptive resource selection by a desert mammal

Quantifying the effects of sensor coatings on body temperature measurements

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