Thermoregulation When The Growing Season Is Short: Sex-Biased Basking Patterns in a Northern Population of Painted Turtles (Chrysemys Picta)

Carrière, M; Rollinson, Njal; Suley, Andrea N.; Brooks, Ronald J.

doi:10.1670/07-070r1.1

Cited by 29 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…We found that adult females actually spend more time basking than males and juvenile females prior to and during the nesting season (May and June). Sex bias in basking behaviour was also observed in painted turtles (Carrière et al 2008). Despite more time spent basking, large adult females were not able to thermoregulate as accurately as small turtles.…”

Section: Evect Of Ssd On Thermoregulationmentioning

confidence: 84%

Implications of extreme sexual size dimorphism for thermoregulation in a freshwater turtle

Bulté

Blouin‐Demers

2009

Oecologia

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Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) is a common phenomenon in animals. In many species females are substantially larger than males. Because body size plays a central role in modulating the body temperature (T (b)) of ectotherms, intersexual differences in body size may lead to important intersexual differences in thermoregulation. In addition, because SSD is realized by differences in growth rate and because growth rate is strongly temperature dependent in ectotherms, a conflict between male reproductive behaviour and thermoregulation may affect the expression of SSD. In this study, we investigated the thermal implications of SSD in a reptile exhibiting spectacular female-biased SSD: the northern map turtle (Graptemys geographica). Over three seasons, we collected >150,000 measurements of T (b) in free-ranging adult and juvenile northern map turtles using surgically implanted miniature temperature loggers. Northern map turtles exhibited seasonal patterns of thermoregulation typical of reptiles in northern latitudes, but we found that large adult females experienced a lower daily maximum T (b) and a narrower daily range of T (b) than adult males and small juvenile females. In addition, despite more time spent basking, large adult females were not able to thermoregulate as accurately as small turtles. Our findings strongly suggest that body size limits the ability to thermoregulate accurately in large females. By comparing thermoregulatory patterns between adult males and juvenile females of similar body size, we found no evidence that male reproductive behaviours are an impediment to thermoregulation. We also quantified the thermal significance of basking behaviour. We found, contrary to previous findings, that aerial basking allows northern map turtles to raise their T (b) substantially above water temperature, indicating that basking behaviour likely plays an important role in thermoregulation.

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Section: Evect Of Ssd On Thermoregulationmentioning

confidence: 84%

Implications of extreme sexual size dimorphism for thermoregulation in a freshwater turtle

Bulté

Blouin‐Demers

2009

Oecologia

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“…Adult females were most likely to be captured via dip-net (42% of captures). Basking traps were not the best trap for females, which is surprising given that females bask longer and more often than males, especially during egg development (Carrière et al, 2008;Krawchuk and Brooks, 1998;Lefevre and Brooks, 1995). Egg development for turtles in British Columbia occurs in late spring through summer and corresponds to this study's field season (COSEWIC, 2006).…”

Section: Trapping Biasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Captures in each trap type are biased by behavioral differences among turtles and between size classes and sexes (Cagle and Chaney, 1950;Frazer et al, 1990;Gamble, 2006). Females may be more attracted to basking traps as they have higher energetic demands due to larger body size and egg production (Carrière et al, 2008;Lefevre and Brooks, 1995). Hatchling and juveniles often elude the hoop nets and basking traps that are successful with adults (Congdon, 1993;Mali et al, 2013;Ream and Ream, 1966;Sexton, 1959).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unreliable population inferences from common trapping practices for freshwater turtles

Tesche

Hodges

2015

Global Ecology and Conservation

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a b s t r a c tFundamental questions in ecology and conservation require reliable data about population size and structure. For freshwater turtles, such data are often obtained via mark-recapture trapping, but commonly used trap types are biased in the sex and age classes they sample although these biases are seldom quantified. We present data from 11 populations of Western painted turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii; 1107 turtles total, n caught per pond 6-322) captured in hoop traps, dip-nets, and basking traps to examine bias in captures and the impact on estimates of population size and sex/age ratios. Hatchlings and juveniles were primarily captured in dip-nets, while hoop nets had the lowest capture rates for adults. Most turtles were caught only once; among recaptures, the majority were recaptured in the same trap type. Estimates of population size and sex/age ratios varied strongly when we calculated results from each trap type separately versus combining all captures. These results show clearly that turtle sampling that uses only one trap type will almost certainly mis-estimate population size and sex/age ratios. These results are troubling in the light of current practice: of population studies of North American turtles published during 2009-2014, 45% used only one trap type, and 49% of studies did not even mention possible sampling biases. The conservation implications are serious, as current trapping efforts probably result in erroneous population estimates and sex/age ratios, which may encourage management actions that are not needed or may obscure actions that are in fact necessary for viable populations.

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“…Females, which are usually larger than males, might be more successful when competing for basking sites. Higher basking requirements of females related to egg production might be an alternative explanation for this tendency (Lefevre and Brooks 1995;Krawchuk and Brooks 1998;Carrière et al 2008).…”

Section: Air -Water Temperature (°C)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Competitive interactions during basking between native and invasive freshwater turtle species

2009

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The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is currently introduced in many Mediterranean countries, where it behaves as an invasive species that competes and displaces native populations of the endangered Spanish terrapin (Mauremys leprosa). However, the nature of competitive interactions is relatively unknown. During basking activity, factors like greater body size or pre-existing behavioral adaptations to an original habitat with higher levels of interspecific competition might confer competitive advantages to introduced T. scripta with respect to native terrapins. We hypothesized that competition for basking places with the introduced T. scripta might negatively affect the efficiency of basking and thermoregulation of the native Spanish terrapin. We experimentally analyzed the basking activity of T. scripta and M. leprosa under occasional and long-term situations of intra-and inter-specific competition. Native M. leprosa subjected to interspecific competition reduced their basking activity, basked for shorter periods than T. scripta, and avoided basking stacked with the exotic turtles. These results suggested the displacement from the basking sites of the native terrapin by the introduced T. scripta. The decreased basking activity of native M. leprosa when competing directly for basking places with introduced sliders may lead native terrapins to a loss in the efficiency of physiological functions related to ineffective thermoregulation, such as digestion or locomotor performance, thus favoring the expansion of the invasive species.

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Thermoregulation When The Growing Season Is Short: Sex-Biased Basking Patterns in a Northern Population of Painted Turtles (Chrysemys Picta)

Cited by 29 publications

References 2 publications

Implications of extreme sexual size dimorphism for thermoregulation in a freshwater turtle

Implications of extreme sexual size dimorphism for thermoregulation in a freshwater turtle

Unreliable population inferences from common trapping practices for freshwater turtles

Competitive interactions during basking between native and invasive freshwater turtle species

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