1
|
Zhu Q, Lin L, Kong F, Zhang T, Shi H. Nocturnal emergence facilitated by thermally‐induced hatching in the Chinese softshell turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9922. [PMID: 36969933 PMCID: PMC10034484 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The coincidence of hatching and emergence events with favorable conditions is crucial for turtle survival. Nocturnal emergence has been widely documented across marine and freshwater turtles, and has long been suggested as an adaptive behavior that reduces risks of heat stress and predation. To our knowledge, however, studies related to nocturnal emergence have mainly focused on the post‐hatching behaviors of turtles, and very few experimental studies have been performed to investigate the effects of hatching time on the distribution of emergence times over the course of a day. Here, we visually monitored the activity of the Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis)—a shallow‐nesting freshwater turtle—from hatching to emergence. Our study provides evidence for the novel finding that (i) the timing of synchronous hatching events in P. sinensis coincides with the time of day when nest temperatures decrease, (ii) the synchrony between hatching and emergence may further facilitate their nocturnal emergence, and (iii) synchronous behaviors of hatchlings in the nest may be effective in reducing the risk of hatchling predation, and predation is more likely to occur in the asynchronous hatching groups. This study suggests that the hatching of shallow‐nesting P. sinensis in response to temperature changes in the nest might be an adaptive nocturnal emergence strategy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qingjun Zhu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| | - Liu Lin
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| | - Fei Kong
- Shaanxi Provincial Institute of ZoologyXianChina
| | - Ting Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| | - Hai‐Tao Shi
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life SciencesHainan Normal UniversityHaikouChina
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Geller GA, Casper GS, Halstead BJ. Dispersal of Hatchling Ouachita Map Turtles (Graptemys ouachitensis) from Natural Nests on the Lower Wisconsin River, Wisconsin. CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1420.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gary S. Casper
- Great Lakes Ecological Services, LLC, PO Box 375, Slinger, Wisconsin 53086 USA []
| | - Brian J. Halstead
- US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, California 95620 USA []
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Geller GA, Casper GS, Halstead BJ. Hatchling Emergence Ecology of Ouachita Map Turtles (Graptemys ouachitensis) on the Lower Wisconsin River, Wisconsin. CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1415.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gary S. Casper
- Great Lakes Ecological Services, LLC, PO Box 375, Slinger, Wisconsin 53086 USA []
| | - Brian J. Halstead
- US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, California 95620 USA []
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Murphy KM, Bodensteiner BL, Delaney DM, Strickland JT, Janzen FJ. Nest Temperatures Predict Nest Emergence of Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) Offspring. CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1391.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlyn M. Murphy
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 USA [; ]
| | - Brooke L. Bodensteiner
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 USA [; ]
| | - David M. Delaney
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 USA [; ]
| | - Jeramie T. Strickland
- Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Thomson, Illinois 61285 USA []
| | - Fredric J. Janzen
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011 USA [; ]
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Riley JL, Hudson S, Frenette-Ling C, Davy CM. All together now! Hatching synchrony in freshwater turtles. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-2800-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
|
6
|
Affiliation(s)
- J. Whitfield Gibbons
- University of Georgia, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
| | - Jeffrey E. Lovich
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, 2255 North Gemini Drive MS-9394, Flagstaff, AZ 86001-1600, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
McGlashan JK, Thompson MB, Janzen FJ, Spencer R. Environmentally induced phenotypic plasticity explains hatching synchrony in the freshwater turtle
Chrysemys picta. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART 2018; 329:362-372. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.2217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica K. McGlashan
- School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney Penrith South DC NSW Australia
| | - Michael B. Thompson
- School of Biological Sciences, Heydon‐Laurence Building (A08), The University of Sydney Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Fredric J. Janzen
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University Ames Iowa
| | - Ricky‐John Spencer
- School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney Penrith South DC NSW Australia
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Janzen FJ, Hoekstra LA, Brooks RJ, Carroll DM, Gibbons JW, Greene JL, Iverson JB, Litzgus JD, Michael ED, Parren SG, Roosenburg WM, Strain GF, Tucker JK, Ultsch GR. Altered spring phenology of North American freshwater turtles and the importance of representative populations. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:5815-5827. [PMID: 29938095 PMCID: PMC6010881 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Revised: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, populations of diverse taxa have altered phenology in response to climate change. However, most research has focused on a single population of a given taxon, which may be unrepresentative for comparative analyses, and few long-term studies of phenology in ectothermic amniotes have been published. We test for climate-altered phenology using long-term studies (10-36 years) of nesting behavior in 14 populations representing six genera of freshwater turtles (Chelydra, Chrysemys, Kinosternon, Malaclemys, Sternotherus, and Trachemys). Nesting season initiation occurs earlier in more recent years, with 11 of the populations advancing phenology. The onset of nesting for nearly all populations correlated well with temperatures during the month preceding nesting. Still, certain populations of some species have not advanced phenology as might be expected from global patterns of climate change. This collection of findings suggests a proximate link between local climate and reproduction that is potentially caused by variation in spring emergence from hibernation, ability to process food, and thermoregulatory opportunities prior to nesting. However, even though all species had populations with at least some evidence of phenological advancement, geographic variation in phenology within and among turtle species underscores the critical importance of representative data for accurate comprehensive assessments of the biotic impacts of climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fredric J. Janzen
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal BiologyIowa State UniversityAmesIowa
| | - Luke A. Hoekstra
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal BiologyIowa State UniversityAmesIowa
| | - Ronald J. Brooks
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of GuelphGuelphONCanada
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Edwin D. Michael
- Division of Forestry and Natural ResourcesWest Virginia UniversityMorgantownWest Virginia
| | | | | | | | - John K. Tucker
- Jerry F. Costello National Great Rivers Research and Education Center Confluence Field StationEast AltonIllinois
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Chessman BC. Freshwater turtle hatchlings that stay in the nest: strategists or prisoners? AUST J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1071/zo17054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Hatchlings of several species of freshwater turtles have been reported to remain in subterranean nests for extended periods following hatching from the egg. It has been suggested that this delayed emergence, including overwintering in the nest in populations at temperate latitudes, is an evolved adaptation that enables hatchlings to enter the aquatic environment at the most propitious time for survival and growth. I monitored nests of a temperate-zone population of the freshwater Australian eastern long-necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis) for up to a year after nest construction in fine-grained soils adjacent to oxbow lakes and farm ponds. An estimated 84% of nests were preyed on, probably mainly by non-native red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), whereas hatchlings emerged from autumn to spring from an estimated 5% of nests. The remaining 11% of nests were neither preyed on nor had emergence by a year after nest construction. Live hatchlings were present in some nests with no emergence up to 10 months after nest construction, but substantial numbers of dead hatchlings were present beyond nine months. It therefore seems unlikely that emergence occurs more than a year after nest construction. Delayed emergence of this species in this environment appears less likely to be an adaptive strategy than to be a consequence of imprisonment in the nest by hard soil that is difficult for hatchlings to excavate.
Collapse
|
10
|
Lovich JE, Averill-Murray RC, Agha M, Ennen JR, Austin M. Variation in Annual Clutch Phenology of Sonoran Desert Tortoises (Gopherus morafkai) in Central Arizona. HERPETOLOGICA 2017. [DOI: 10.1655/herpetologica-d-17-00007.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey E. Lovich
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, 2255 North Gemini Drive, MS-9394, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
| | | | - Mickey Agha
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Joshua R. Ennen
- Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, 175 Baylor School Road, Chattanooga, TN 37405, USA
| | - Meaghan Austin
- Trileaf Environmental Corporation, 2121 West Chandler Boulevard, Suite 203, Chandler, AZ 85224, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Wu YQ, Qu YF, Wang XJ, Gao JF, Ji X. Does the oviparity-viviparity transition alter the partitioning of yolk in embryonic snakes? BMC Evol Biol 2017; 17:235. [PMID: 29187161 PMCID: PMC5707827 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-017-1083-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The oviparity-viviparity transition is a major evolutionary event, likely altering the reproductive process of the organisms involved. Residual yolk, a portion of yolk remaining unutilized at hatching or birth as parental investment in care, has been investigated in many oviparous amniotes but remained largely unknown in viviparous species. Here, we used data from 20 (12 oviparous and 8 viviparous) species of snakes to see if the oviparity-viviparity transition alters the partitioning of yolk in embryonic snakes. We used ANCOVA to test whether offspring size, mass and components at hatching or birth differed between the sexes in each species. We used both ordinary least squares and phylogenetic generalized least squares regressions to test whether relationships between selected pairs of offspring components were significant. We used phylogenetic ANOVA to test whether offspring components differed between oviparous and viviparous species and, more specifically, the hypothesis that viviparous snakes invest more in the yolk as parental investment in embryogenesis to produce more well developed offspring that are larger in linear size. Results In none of the 20 species was sex a significant source of variation in any offspring component examined. Newborn viviparous snakes on average contained proportionally more water and, after accounting for body dry mass, had larger carcasses but smaller residual yolks than did newly hatched oviparous snakes. The rates at which carcass dry mass (CDM) and fat body dry mass (FDM) increased with residual yolk dry mass (YDM) did not differ between newborn oviparous and viviparous snakes. Neither CDM nor FDM differed between newborn oviparous and viviparous snakes after accounting for YDM. Conclusions Our results are not consistent with the hypothesis that the partitioning of yolk between embryonic and post-embryonic stages differs between snakes that differ in parity mode, but instead show that the partitioning of yolk in embryonic snakes is species-specific or phylogenetically related. We conclude that the oviparity-viviparity transition does not alter yolk partitioning in embryonic snakes. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-017-1083-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Qing Wu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, China
| | - Yan-Fu Qu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, China
| | - Xue-Ji Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, China
| | - Jian-Fang Gao
- Hangzhou Key Laboratory for Animal Adaptation and Evolution, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310036, China
| | - Xiang Ji
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, China.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Beginning the Second Half of the Journal's Century: Perspectives and other Special Papers. J HERPETOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1670/16-142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
13
|
Dziadzio MC, Long AK, Smith LL, Chandler RB, Castleberry SB. Presence of the red imported fire ant at gopher tortoise nests. WILDLIFE SOC B 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michelina C. Dziadzio
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; University of Georgia; 180 E Green Street Athens GA 30602 USA
| | - Andrea K. Long
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; University of Florida; 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, P.O. Box 110430 Gainesville FL 32611 USA
| | - Lora L. Smith
- Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center; 3988 Jones Center Drive Newton GA 39870 USA
| | - Richard B. Chandler
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; University of Georgia; 180 E Green Street Athens GA 30602 USA
| | - Steven B. Castleberry
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; University of Georgia; 180 E Green Street Athens GA 30602 USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Refsnider JM, Janzen FJ. Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination under Rapid Anthropogenic Environmental Change: Evolution at a Turtle’s Pace? J Hered 2015; 107:61-70. [DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esv053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
|
15
|
Ferronato BO, Roe JH, Georges A. First record of hatchling overwintering inside the natal nest of a chelid turtle. AUST J ZOOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1071/zo15044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Hatchling overwintering inside the natal nest is a strategy used by several Northern Hemisphere species of freshwater turtles. We recorded hatchling overwintering in the nest by Chelodina longicollis (Chelidae) in south-eastern Australia, during three reproductive seasons. Hatchlings spent, on average, 320 days inside the nest from the date eggs were laid until emergence. Some nests were carefully opened adjacent to the nest plug, one during winter and one in spring, to confirm that eggs had hatched and were not in diapause, although we could not precisely confirm hatching dates. Despite our small sample size, we observed a dichotomous overwintering strategy, with hatchlings from one nest emerging in autumn and spending their first winter in the aquatic environment, and hatchlings from three nests overwintering in the nest and emerging in spring. These findings expand the phylogenetic range of turtles exhibiting hatchling overwintering behaviour. Future research should evaluate whether this strategy is widespread among other long-necked turtles in temperate regions and examine physiological mechanisms involved in coping with winter temperatures.
Collapse
|
16
|
Lovich JE, Ernst CH, Ernst EM, Riley JL. A 21-Year Study of Seasonal and Interspecific Variation of Hatchling Emergence in a Nearctic Freshwater Turtle Community: To Overwinter or Not To Overwinter? HERPETOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS 2014. [DOI: 10.1655/herpmonographs-d-14-00001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
17
|
Riley JL, Tattersall GJ, Litzgus JD. Potential sources of intra-population variation in painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) hatchling overwintering strategy. J Exp Biol 2014; 217:4174-83. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.111120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Many temperate animals spend half their lives in a non-active, overwintering state, and multiple adaptations have evolved to enable winter survival. One notable vertebrate model is Chrysemys picta whose hatchlings display dichotomous overwintering strategies: some hatchlings spend their first winter aquatically after nest emergence in fall, while others overwinter terrestrially within their natal nest with subsequent spring emergence. Occurrence of these strategies varies among populations and temporally within populations; however, factors that determine the strategy employed by a nest in nature are unknown. We examined potential factors that influence intra-population variation in C. picta hatchling overwintering strategy over two winters in Algonquin Park, Ontario. We found that environmental factors may be a trigger for hatchling overwintering strategy: fall-emerging nests were sloped towards the water and were surrounded by a relatively higher percentage of bare ground compared to spring-emerging nests. Fall-emerging hatchlings were also relatively smaller. Overwintering strategy was not associated with clutch oviposition sequence, or mammalian or avian predation attempts. Instead, fall emergence from the nest was associated with the direct mortality threat of predation by Sarcophagid fly larvae. Body condition and righting response, measured as proxies of hatchling fitness, did not differ between overwintering strategies. Costs and benefits of overwintering aquatically versus terrestrially in hatchling C. picta are largely unknown, and have the potential to affect population dynamics. Understanding winter survival has great implications for turtle ecology, thus we emphasize future research areas on dichotomous overwintering strategies in temperate hatchling turtles.
Collapse
|