No abstract

Turtles and tortoises (chelonians) have been integral components of global ecosystems for about 220 million years and have played important roles in human culture for at least 400,000 years. The chelonian shell is a remarkable evolutionary adaptation, facilitating success in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Today, more than half of the 360 living species and 482 total taxa (species and subspecies combined) are threatened with extinction. This places chelonians among the groups with the highest extinction risk of any sizeable vertebrate group. Turtle populations are declining rapidly due to habitat loss, consumption by humans for food and traditional medicines and collection for the international pet trade. Many taxa could become extinct in this century. Here, we examine survival threats to turtles and tortoises and discuss the interventions that will be needed to prevent widespread extinction in this group in coming decades.

Comprehensive assessments of species’ extinction risks have documented the extinction crisis1 and underpinned strategies for reducing those risks2. Global assessments reveal that, among tetrapods, 40.7% of amphibians, 25.4% of mammals and 13.6% of birds are threatened with extinction3. Because global assessments have been lacking, reptiles have been omitted from conservation-prioritization analyses that encompass other tetrapods4–7. Reptiles are unusually diverse in arid regions, suggesting that they may have different conservation needs6. Here we provide a comprehensive extinction-risk assessment of reptiles and show that at least 1,829 out of 10,196 species (21.1%) are threatened—confirming a previous extrapolation8 and representing 15.6 billion years of phylogenetic diversity. Reptiles are threatened by the same major factors that threaten other tetrapods—agriculture, logging, urban development and invasive species—although the threat posed by climate change remains uncertain. Reptiles inhabiting forests, where these threats are strongest, are more threatened than those in arid habitats, contrary to our prediction. Birds, mammals and amphibians are unexpectedly good surrogates for the conservation of reptiles, although threatened reptiles with the smallest ranges tend to be isolated from other threatened tetrapods. Although some reptiles—including most species of crocodiles and turtles—require urgent, targeted action to prevent extinctions, efforts to protect other tetrapods, such as habitat preservation and control of trade and invasive species, will probably also benefit many reptiles.

Background: The Aboriginal population of Australia has a higher burden of chronic health conditions than non-Aboriginal Australians. However, there is a paucity of data on clinical and demographic characteristics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in this population. Method: In this retrospective study we evaluated the clinical, demographic and environmental influences in adult Aboriginal patients with COPD living in the regional and remote communities of the Northern Territory of Australia. Results: There were 380 patients (49%) with a diagnosis of COPD of the 767 patients referred to specialist respiratory outreach clinics. The mean age was 57 years (56% were female) and mean±SD BMI was 24.30±7.01 kg/m 2. Smoking history was noted in 93% of the study cohort. The most common respiratory symptom was shortness of breath in 62%, and inhaled medications (salbutamol, tiotropium, salmeterol/fluticasone) were used by 79%, 44% and 58% of patients, respectively. Spirometry showed obstructive impairment (FEV 1 / FVC <0.7) in 79% (0.56±0.17), with mean FEV 1 42% of predicted, and a bronchodilator response was present in 28.6%. Comorbid bronchiectasis was diagnosed in 49.8% along with COPD. The relationship between COPD and community demography showed a higher proportion of smokers and those with underlying bronchiectasis to have lower FEV 1 /FVC ratios. Communities with a higher proportion of asthma were younger and had higher smoking rates. Mortality increased with increasing number of exacerbations and hospital admissions. Conclusion: The Aboriginal population with COPD has a higher prevalence of smoking, moderate to severe airflow obstruction on spirometry and frequently co-diagnosed bronchiectasis with increased severity of ventilatory impairment.

Background: Chronic respiratory disorders are highly prevalent in Aboriginal Australian population, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis. However, there is paucity of information in the literature among Aboriginal patients with underlying COPD with and without bronchiectasis. Aims: In this retrospective study we evaluated the demographic and clinical characteristics of adult Aboriginal Australian patients with a clinical diagnosis of COPD with and without bronchiectasis from the remote communities of the Northern Territory of Australia. Methods: Clinical records were reviewed to extract information on demographics, respiratory and medical comorbid conditions, COPD directed treatment, hospital admission frequency and exacerbations. Chest radiology were reviewed to evaluate the presence or absence of bronchiectasis. Spirometry results, sputum culture and cardiac investigations were also recorded. Results: Of the 767 patients assessed in the remote community respiratory outreach clinics 380 (49%) patients had a clinical diagnosis of COPD. Chest X-ray and computed tomography scan were available to evaluate the presence of bronchiectasis in 258 patients. Of the 258/380 patients, 176/258 (68.2%) were diagnosed to have COPD alone and 82/258 (31.8%) had bronchiectasis along with COPD. The mean age was 56 and 59 years among patients with and without bronchiectasis, respectively, and 57% were males with bronchiectasis. Patients with bronchiectasis had lower body mass index (22 vs 24 kg/m 2), frequent hospital admissions (2.0 vs 1.5/year) and productive cough (32.1% vs 28.9%). Spirometry showed 77% had forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1)/forced vital capacity ratio <0.7. In 81% and 75% of patients with and without bronchiectasis the FEV 1 /forced vital capacity ratio was <0.7 and the mean FEV 1 was 39% and 43% respectively. Conclusions: About 32% of Aboriginal Australians had co-existent bronchiectasis with COPD. Lower body mass index, productive cough, frequent hospital admission and marginally more severe reduction in lung function were noted among patients with COPD and bronchiectasis compared to those with COPD in isolation.

A change in seasonal flooding cycles in the Amazon may negatively impact nesting success of the Giant South American Turtle (Podocnemis expansa). Our aim was to devise a technique that could be replicated in the entire Amazon basin, for monitoring alterations in fluvial cycles and their effects on turtle nest mortality. We mapped the spatial distribution and height of P. expansa nests and tested the effects of different inundation scenarios within the Trombetas River Biological Reserve, Para state, Brazil. We also used historical data on water level and hatchling production to test whether the sharp decline in the Trombetas River P. expansa population over the past thirty years was related to detected changes in the flood pulse. Our models indicate that an increase of 1.5 m in the water level is sufficient to decrease the time of exposure to less than the minimum required for incubation and hatching (55 days above the water) in 50% of the nesting area. This model explains the low hatchling production in dry seasons when the total nesting site exposure was less than 200 days. Since 1971, there was an average decline of 15 days per decade in sandbank exposure during the nesting season (a total of 62 days from 1971 to 2015). However, the decrease in sandbank exposure was not significantly correlated with the sharp decline in hatchling production. Changes to the water cycle in combination with the main sources of decline (overharvest, construction of dams, and dredging of riverbeds) might have an accumulative effect on P. expansa populations.

No abstract

A survey of the Kikori River drainage of the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea identified four species of freshwater turtle. The pig-nosed turtle Carettochelys insculpta and the southern New Guinea soft-shelled turtle Pelochelys bibroni are riverine species. The New Guinea spotted turtle Elseya novaeguineae lives primarily in the tidal freshwater creeks and streams, flooded sinkholes and swamps of the lowland rainforest. The New Guinea painted turtle Emydura subglobosa resides almost exclusively in forest sinkholes and swamps. Pelochelys bibroni was the least-common species, and is probably locally endangered. Greatest turtle diversity occurred in the Karst Plains of the Kikori sub-basin, where there is a greater diversity of habitat available to turtles. Lowest diversity occurred in the highlands, where turtles were present in very low density as introduced populations, brought in from the Kikori lowlands, Mount Bosavi and the Western Province by visiting relatives. Linguistic diversity concurred with turtle diversity of the regions in which the languages were spoken. C. insculpta nests both on riverine sand beaches and on coastal beaches, sand spits and isolated sand bars where the Kikori River discharges into the Gulf of Papua. Adult females and eggs of C. insculpta are harvested heavily by local people for local consumption.