Patterns of survival at subzero temperatures by hatchling painted turtles and snapping turtles
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Abstract Neonatal painted turtles ( Chrysemys picta ) do not emerge from their nest immediately upon hatching but instead remain inside the nest cavity until the following spring. Because the nest chamber is only 7–12 cm beneath the surface of the ground, hatchlings in northerly populations may be exposed to subzero temperatures during their first winter of life. We studied the pattern of survival by hatchling painted turtles exposed to subzero temperatures in a controlled laboratory experiment and discovered that 50% of the animals in our samples could withstand exposure to approximately −8.6°C for 18 hr. In contrast, hatchling snapping turtles ( Chelydra serpentina ) died at −2°C. This extraordinary ability for hatchling painted turtles to withstand exposure to subzero temperatures is a key feature in the unusual life history of the species and distinguishes painted turtles from other species occurring at high latitudes.Keywords:
Hatchling
Chelydra
Painted turtle
Abstract: Road mortality has the potential to alter the structure of turtle populations because turtle populations are highly sensitive to additive sources of adult mortality. To address the issue, we captured painted turtles ( Chrysemys picta ; n = 174) and snapping turtles ( Chelydra serpentina ; n = 56) in 18 wetlands surrounded by low road density (≤1.5 km roads/km 2 of landscape) and 17 wetlands surrounded by high road density (>1.5 km/km 2 ) in central New York in 2002. High road density was associated with male‐biased sex ratios in painted turtles (74% vs. 54% males; p = 0.01) and snapping turtles (95% vs. 74% males; p = 0.08), whereas turtle morphology and abundance were not associated with road density. Disproportionate road mortality of females on nesting migrations is the most likely cause of skewed sex ratios.
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Animal ecology
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Unlike birds and mammals, in many reptiles the temperature experienced by a developing embryo determines its gonadal sex. To understand how temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) evolves, we must first determine the nature of genetic variation for sex ratio. Here, we analyze among-family variation for sex ratio in three TSD species: the American alligator (Alligator mississipiensis), the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) and the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta). Significant family effects and significant temperature effects were detected in all three species. In addition, family-by-temperature interactions were evident in the alligator and the snapping turtle, but not in the painted turtle. Overall, the among-family variation detected in this study indicates potential for sex-ratio evolution in at least three reptiles with TSD. Consequently, climate change scenarios that are posited on the presumption that sex-ratio evolution in TSD reptiles is genetically constrained may require reevaluation.
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Clutches of six female snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) each were distributed among six incubators set at one of three constant temperatures (22.0, 25.6, and 28.6 °C) in either a wet (−100 kPa) or a dry (−500 kPa) vermiculite substrate. We tested for influences of egg mass, clutch, and incubation temperature and moisture on survival of embryos and hatchlings, on size at hatching, and on rate of post-hatching growth over 7 months. Intraclutch variation in egg mass had no effect on embryonic mortality. Mass at hatching was correlated with egg mass, but neither variable was related significantly to post-hatching survival or rate of growth. Eggs incubated at the highest temperature produced smaller hatchlings which subsequently grew more slowly than those from eggs incubated at the low and intermediate temperatures. Eggs incubated at the intermediate temperature produced larger turtles at 7 months post-hatching than did eggs incubated at the low or high temperatures. Eggs incubated in wet substrates produced larger hatchlings than those in dry substrates, but post-hatching growth rates were independent of these effects of moisture. Eggs incubated at the two extreme temperatures produced mostly females; those at 25.6 °C produced only males. Interclutch variation was significant for egg mass, mass at hatching, and survival of embryos, and was the most important influence on variation in post-hatching rates of growth. These results indicate that egg size and size at hatching may not be useful indicators of intraspecific variation in egg quality or post-hatching success in turtles, unless differences among clutches and embryonic thermal experience are also considered, particularly in relation to parental investment in the amount, quality, and apportionment of the egg's yolk.
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Chelydra
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Abstract Neonatal painted turtles ( Chrysemys picta ) do not emerge from their nest immediately upon hatching but instead remain inside the nest cavity until the following spring. Because the nest chamber is only 7–12 cm beneath the surface of the ground, hatchlings in northerly populations may be exposed to subzero temperatures during their first winter of life. We studied the pattern of survival by hatchling painted turtles exposed to subzero temperatures in a controlled laboratory experiment and discovered that 50% of the animals in our samples could withstand exposure to approximately −8.6°C for 18 hr. In contrast, hatchling snapping turtles ( Chelydra serpentina ) died at −2°C. This extraordinary ability for hatchling painted turtles to withstand exposure to subzero temperatures is a key feature in the unusual life history of the species and distinguishes painted turtles from other species occurring at high latitudes.
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Repair of certain chelonian shell fractures can be performed without screws, wires, drilling, or patches. The authors have used this procedure successfully on a number of species, including snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina), painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), sliders (Trachemys spp.), and diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin). The process is quick and minimally stressful for the turtle.
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In 2005, we assessed the occurrence of leeches on semi-aquatic turtles in nine ponds in the North Carolina Piedmont. Placobdella parasitica (smooth turtle leech) was the only parasitic leech found on turtles and was present on turtles from all ponds. Female Chrysemys picta (Painted Turtles) were more frequently parasitized than males (females 54.7%, males 40.9%; p = 0.039), possibly because they are larger and provide more surface for leech attachment. Chelydra serpentina (Snapping Turtles) had the highest leech load of any species (mean = 32.3/turtle), which we attributed to its large size and bottom-dwelling habits. Most leeches were found attached to the underside of marginal scutes or between the plastron and inguinal region. These sites likely offer protection from the environment when a turtle emerges from the water.
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We report the season of emergence from the nest of hatchlings of five species of freshwater turtles from a wetlands/stream/lake complex in southcentral New Hampshire from 1988–1994. Only hatchling Chrysemys picta (Painted Turtle) overwintered in the nest and emerged the following spring, although there were some cases of autumn emergence, as well as some nests with hatchlings that emerged in both seasons. In nests monitored over the winter, mortality ranged from 26–100%. Hatchlings of the other four species—Chelydra serpentina (Snapping Turtle), Glyptemys insculpta (Wood Turtle), Clemmys guttata (Spotted Turtle), and Emydoidea blandingii (Blanding's Turtle)—emerged only in autumn.
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