Thermoregulation of spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata) in a beaver-flooded bog in southern Ontario, Canada

Yagi, Katharine T.; Litzgus, Jacqueline D.

doi:10.1016/j.jtherbio.2013.02.010

Cited by 15 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Warmer temperatures could even raise reproductive investment by enlargement of body size (Chamaillé-Jammes et al 2006), or by extending the activity season, thereby facilitating an increase in the number of clutches reared in the same season, which occurs in lowland vs. highland populations of the closely related species I. monticola (Braña et al 1990). Therefore, although further experiments are necessary to ascertain the possible effects of climate change on I. cyreni, our study reveals that a species capacity to make behavioural adjustments is important to predict how different species might cope with challenging thermal environments (Muñoz et al 2014), and as such, thermoregulatory abilities should be taken into consideration along with environmental variables in predictive models on a population's response to climate change (Huey et al 2009;Kearney et al 2009;Yagi and Litzgus 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Thermoregulation in a cold-adapted species (Cyren’s Rock Lizard, Iberolacerta cyreni): influence of thermal environment and associated costs

AguadoS.

BrañaF.

2014

Can. J. Zool.

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Thermal constraints may limit the physiology and behaviour of ectotherms because of the high thermal dependence of metabolic functions. The adaptive mechanisms of thermoregulation and the cost of confronting thermal constraints were studied in the Cyren’s Rock Lizard (Iberolacerta cyreni (Müller and Hellmich, 1937)), a lacertid lizard endemic to mountain areas of central Spain. Semicontinuous monitoring of body temperature (Tb) in the laboratory indicated that the preferred temperature range for this population (Tpref) was lower than those found for most lacertid lizards, and field body temperatures of active animals in summer were even lower than Tpref. Overall these results, together with distribution of field operative temperatures (Te), indicate that I. cyreni is an active and relatively accurate thermoregulator, although limited by thermal constraints in their habitat. Laboratory experiments in contrasting thermal environments showed that even under thermally restricted conditions, lizards achieved their Tpref by modifying their thermoregulatory behaviour, principally through changes in space use, basking time, and body posture. However, these behavioural adjustments to reach the Tpref have associated costs, and lizards spent 80% of their time in thermoregulation when tested under low radiation conditions, which in the wild would limit the scope for other activities and eventually increase predation risk. Our results suggest that thermoregulatory behaviour may play an important role in coping with global climate change, hence predictions of the effects of climate warming on lizards inhabiting cold habitats should take into account the buffering role of behavioural thermoregulation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Thermoregulation in a cold-adapted species (Cyren’s Rock Lizard, Iberolacerta cyreni): influence of thermal environment and associated costs

AguadoS.

BrañaF.

2014

Can. J. Zool.

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“…). In addition, spotted turtles selected for a closed understory and thicker pine needle cover at the 2 m scale and for warmer substrate temperatures and deciduous leaf cover within and around the ditch system at the 20 m scale, which may indicate that they selected ditches based on thermal quality or shelter from predators (Yagi and Litzgus ). Spotted turtles, like other ectotherms, often create forms for protection from predators or thermoregulatory opportunities (Litzgus and Brooks ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Novel habitat use supports population maintenance in a reconfigured landscape

et al. 2016

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Abstract. Given the limited scope of unaltered, protected areas in most regions, understanding the contributions to imperiled species conservation by landscapes in which habitat elements have been reconfigured is critical. Commercial forestry has been a driver of altered structure and composition of forests and of distribution and character of aquatic systems. In eastern North America, extensive historical wetland drainage reconfigured hydrologic environments from low-gradient wet flats and isolated wetlands to connected networks of linear ditches. Landscapes where both uplands and aquatic environments differ from historic conditions may affect most ecological aspects of semi-aquatic species, including reptiles. Our objective was to determine if habitat selection and use decisions by spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata), a rare semi-aquatic species, supported population maintenance in a reconfigured forest landscape in eastern North Carolina, USA. We captured 280 individuals and radiomarked 31 adults to examine habitat selection at multiple spatial scales with paired logistic regression, movements and home ranges with location data and utilization distributions (UDs), survival with a known-fate model, and abundance with N-mixture modeling. Across local and landscape scales, turtles selected features associated with ditches despite abundant, more natural aquatic depressions across the study area. Habitat metrics describing understory closure and substrate characteristics were important at local scales, and closed canopy forest and habitat heterogeneity was positively associated with activity areas at landscape-scale spatial grains. Both movements and home ranges were centered on ditches, and turtles exploited ditches to access mates, nest sites, or uplands for estivation. In this highly reconfigured landscape, this species appeared to have sufficient behavioral plasticity to acquire key resources contributing to high survival and an abundant population. Isolation from road traffic and collection, both which negatively affect turtles elsewhere, was facilitated by limited public access. Our results suggest that conservation and management of rare species should not rely solely on habitat information gained from studies in more pristine areas because such results may not demonstrate the range in variation in behavior that might allow persistence in novel environments, absent key threats.

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“…Thermal modelling gives important insight into the thermal ecology of organisms when it is difficult or impossible to extract the same information from live organisms (Dubois, Blouin‐Demers, Shipley, & Thomas, ; Dzialowski, ; Jain‐Schlaepfer et al, ; Yagi & Litzgus, ). Heat loss or gain, in water or the air, are each a function of the difference between body temperature (T b ) and the surrounding environment (Dzialowski & O'Connor, ; Jain‐Schlaepfer et al, ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of human disturbance on the thermoregulatory behaviour of the endangered ringed sawback turtle (Graptemys oculifera)

Heppard

Buchholz

2019

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Human recreational disturbance of riverine environments may be contributing to population declines of aquatic organisms worldwide. Aquatic turtles that are heavily dependent on basking in sunlight to maintain an optimal body temperature may abandon basking perches because they perceive humans as potential predators.2. The impact of boat traffic, the availability of basking structures, and various environmental factors on the basking behaviour of the ringed sawback turtle (Graptemys oculifera) was assessed at two sites on the Pearl River, Mississippi, USA. This information was used to model the likely effects of human disturbance on the body temperature of large female turtles.3. Both the duration of basking and the percentage of turtles in a basking group that abandoned their basking perch were influenced by the availability of alternative basking sites, frequency of boat traffic, boat speed enforcement zones ('wake' or 'no wake'), boat type, air temperature, weather conditions, and Julian day. A simulation model of anthropogenically disturbed and undisturbed adult female ringed sawbacks showed that disturbance probably decreases the mean daily body temperature, especially at higher disturbance probabilities and in May, when the air temperature is low. 4. Management recommendations are provided that minimize the adverse effects of unintentional human disturbance of the ringed sawback to enable more effective conservation of this endangered, endemic species. Such methods are likely to be useful elsewhere as recreational disturbance becomes a greater conservation issue worldwide.

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Thermoregulation of spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata) in a beaver-flooded bog in southern Ontario, Canada

Cited by 15 publications

References 45 publications

Thermoregulation in a cold-adapted species (Cyren’s Rock Lizard, Iberolacerta cyreni): influence of thermal environment and associated costs

Thermoregulation in a cold-adapted species (Cyren’s Rock Lizard, Iberolacerta cyreni): influence of thermal environment and associated costs

Novel habitat use supports population maintenance in a reconfigured landscape

Impact of human disturbance on the thermoregulatory behaviour of the endangered ringed sawback turtle (Graptemys oculifera)

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