The value of artificial farm ponds to Australian eastern long-necked turtles

Abstract

Constructed wetlands may compensate to some degree for the impact of the loss of natural wetlands on aquatic biodiversity. However, information is lacking on the relative value of artificial wetlands and comparable natural wetlands for freshwater turtles. I contrasted the population structure, diet and body growth of Australian eastern long-necked turtles (Chelodina longicollis) in artificial and natural ponds in farmland settings. Turtle populations in the artificial ponds had a more even distribution of body size, and a much larger proportion of young individuals, than those in the natural ponds, suggesting that the artificial ponds were important recruitment sites. Diet differed little between the two types of ponds, being greatly dominated by aquatic insects in both cases. However, body growth of juvenile turtles was on average more rapid in the artificial ponds, possibly because they were generally permanent, unlike the natural ponds. These findings suggest that artificial farm ponds are valuable habitats for C. longicollis, which may foster population recruitment that counters the effects of introduced nest predators and road mortality.

Impact of severe drought on movement and survival of freshwater turtles in the Gwydir Wetlands, Australia

“…Emydura macquarii prefers water more than 2 m deep (Chessman 1988) and C. expansa is capable of moving extensively in a river system (Bower et al 2012). Chelodina longicollis also requires water, but they generally inhabit shallow or ephemeral bodies of water (such as networks of farm dams) and frequently migrate or estivate terrestrially (Chessman 1988(Chessman , 2022Graham et al 1996). Chelodina longicollis is also active through larger changes in temperature and has a lower level of evaporative weight loss than do E. macquarii and C. expansa (Chessman 1984).…”