Hatchling turtles ingest natural and artificial incubation substrates at high frequency

Terebiznik, Mariel; Moldowan, Patrick D.; Leivesley, Jessica A.; Massey, Melanie D.; Lacroix, Claudia; Connoy, Jared William Heinz; Rollinson, Njal

doi:10.1007/s00265-020-02913-1

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Aquatic turtles seem to host the germ less frequently than terrestrial species [ 46 ], probably because Salmonella spends less time on the skin and in the cloaca in the aquatic environment [ 47 ]. Moreover, terrestrial turtles usually practice geophagy and ingest faeces of other turtles or animals [ 48 ]. This behaviour also could explain why Salmonella is more frequently detected in terrestrial turtles [ 49 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salmonella Infection in Turtles: A Risk for Staff Involved in Wildlife Management?

Casalino

Bellati

Pugliese

et al. 2021

Animals

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Monitoring of infections that may be transmitted to humans by animals in wildlife rescue centres is very important in order to protect the staff engaged in rehabilitation practices. Salmonella may be a natural inhabitant of the intestinal tract of turtles, rarely causing disease. This may represent a potential risk for humans, increasing the sanitary risk for operators in wildlife rescue centres. In this paper, the occurrence of non-typhoidal Salmonella among terrestrial turtles housed in a wildlife rescue centre in Southern Italy was investigated, in order to assess the serovars more frequently carried by turtles and identify those that may represent a risk for operators involved in wildlife management. Sixty-nine adult turtles (Testudo hermanni hermanni, T. h. boettgeri, T. graeca, and T. marginata) were tested. Detection and serotyping of Salmonella strains were performed according to ISO 6579-1 and ISO/TR 6579-3:2013, respectively. The distribution of Salmonella spp. was significantly higher in T. hermanni hermanni than in other species, independent of the age and gender of the animals. Two different Salmonella species, S. enterica and S. bongori, three S. enterica subspecies (enterica, diarizonae, salamae), and five different serovars (Hermannswerder, Abony, Ferruch, Richmond, Vancouver) within the group S. enterica subspecies enterica were identified. Different combinations of Salmonella types were simultaneously found in specimens of T. h. hermanni. Most of detected Salmonella types may represent a potential risk for public health. Adopting correct animal husbandry procedures and informing on potential sanitary risks may be useful for minimising the risk of transmission of Salmonella to workers involved in wildlife management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salmonella Infection in Turtles: A Risk for Staff Involved in Wildlife Management?

Casalino

Bellati

Pugliese

et al. 2021

Animals

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“…In contrast, stomach contents examined in male and non-breeding female green sea turtles foraging on seagrass in Nicaragua contained little or no calcareous matter [ 111 ]. Similarly, the ingestion of Ca-rich substrate was observed in terrestrial [ 10 ] and freshwater tortoises [ 112 ], leading the respective authors to discuss mineral supplement as a plausible explanation for geophagy. On the other hand, accidental ingestion of sediment was also reported in leatherback sea turtles [ 34 ] females and males alike, but such occurrences only involved non-selected and loose material (sand).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First evidence of marine turtle gastroliths in a fossil specimen: Paleobiological implications in comparison to modern analogues

Serafini,

Gordon,

Amalfitano

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Semi-articulated remains of a large chelonioid turtle from the Turonian strata (Upper Cretaceous; ca. 93.9–89.8 Myr) near Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo (Verona province, northeastern Italy) are described for the first time. Together with the skeletal elements, the specimen also preserves pebbles inside the thoracic area which are lithologically distinct from the surrounding matrix. These allochthonous clasts are here interpreted as geo-gastroliths, in-life ingested stones that resided in the digestive tract of the animal. This interpretation marks the first reported evidence of geophagy in a fossil marine turtle. SEM-EDS analysis, together with macroscopic petrological characterization, confirm the presence of both siliceous and carbonatic pebbles. These putative geo-gastroliths have morphometries and size ranges more similar to those of gastroliths in different taxa (fossils and extant) than allochthonous “dropstone” clasts from the same deposit that were carried by floating vegetation A dense pitted pattern of superficial erosion is microscopically recognizable on the carbonatic gastroliths, consistent with surface etching due to gastric acids. The occurrence of a similar pattern was demonstrated by the experimental etching of carbonatic pebbles with synthetic gastric juice. Gut contents of modern green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) were surveyed for substrate ingestion, providing direct evidence of geophagic behavior in extant chelonioids. Comparison with modern turtle dietary habits may suggests that the pebbles were ingested as a way to supplement calcium after or in preparation for egg deposition, implying that the studied specimen was possibly a gravid female.

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“…For example, reptiles often ingest substrate after hatching, which could influence whole body mass or water content as well as other factors like the gut microbiome (see Terebiznik et al . 2020). Hatchling performance, growth, and survival could be likewise affected.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was done to ensure that substrate-specific effects were due to the developmental environment and not the hatching environment. For example, reptiles often ingest substrate after hatching, which could influence whole body mass or water content as well as other factors like the gut microbiome (see Terebiznik et al 2020). Hatchling performance, growth, and survival could be likewise affected.…”

Section: Measuring Water Uptakementioning

confidence: 99%

Natural nest substrates influence squamate embryo physiology but have little effect on hatchling phenotypes

et al. 2021

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Vertebrate embryos require access to water; however, many species nest in terrestrial habitats that vary considerably in moisture content. Oviparous, non‐avian reptiles have served as models to understand how environmental factors, like moisture availability, influence development because eggs are often exposed to prevailing environments in the absence of parental care. Though much research demonstrates the importance of water absorption by eggs, many ecological factors that influence moisture availability in natural nests have received little attention. For example, the type of substrate in which nests are constructed is understudied. We experimentally incubated eggs of the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei) in 2 naturally occurring nest substrates that were treated with varying amounts of water to determine how natural substrates influence development at different moisture concentrations. One substrate consisted of sand and crushed seashells and the other was mostly organic material (i.e. decayed plant material). Both are common nesting substrates at our field site. When controlling for water uptake by eggs, we found that egg survival and hatchling phenotypes were similar between substrates; however, embryos developed more quickly in the sand/shell substrate than the organic substrate, indicating substrate‐specific effects on embryo physiology. These results demonstrate that different natural substrates can result in similar developmental outcomes if the water available to eggs is comparable; however, some aspects of development, like developmental rate, are affected by the type of substrate, independent of water availability. Further study is required to determine how natural substrates influence embryo physiology independent of water content.

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Hatchling turtles ingest natural and artificial incubation substrates at high frequency

Cited by 6 publications

References 66 publications

Salmonella Infection in Turtles: A Risk for Staff Involved in Wildlife Management?

Salmonella Infection in Turtles: A Risk for Staff Involved in Wildlife Management?

First evidence of marine turtle gastroliths in a fossil specimen: Paleobiological implications in comparison to modern analogues

Natural nest substrates influence squamate embryo physiology but have little effect on hatchling phenotypes

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