How turtles keep their cool: Seasonal and diel basking patterns in a tropical turtle.

Autor: Kidman R; Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia. Electronic address: rosie.kidman@my.jcu.edu.au., McKnight DT; Savanna Field Station, La Democracia, Belize District, Belize; College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia., Schwarzkopf L; College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia., Nordberg EJ; Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia; College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of thermal biology [J Therm Biol] 2024 Apr; Vol. 121, pp. 103834. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Mar 26.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103834
Abstrakt: Behavioural thermoregulation by ectotherms is an important mechanism for maintaining body temperatures to optimise physiological performance. Experimental studies suggest that nocturnal basking by Krefft's river turtles (Emydura macquarii krefftii) in the tropics may allow them to avoid high water temperatures, however, this hypothesis has yet to be tested in the field. In this study, we examined the influence of environmental temperature on seasonal and diel patterns of basking in E. m. krefftii in tropical north Queensland, Australia. Wildlife cameras were used to document turtle basking events for seven consecutive days and nights for each month over a year (April 2020-March 2021). Air and water temperatures were recorded simultaneously using temperature loggers. We used a negative binomial mixed effects model to compare mean basking durations (min) occurring among four environmental temperature categories based on population thermal preference (26 °C): 1) air temperature above and water temperature below preferred temperature; 2) air temperature below and water temperature above preferred temperature; 3) air and water temperatures both above preferred temperature; and 4) air and water temperatures both below preferred temperature. Basking behaviour was influenced significantly by the relationship between air and water temperature. During the day, turtles spent significantly less time basking when both air and water temperatures were above their preferred temperatures. Conversely, at night, turtles spent significantly more time basking when water temperatures were warm and air temperatures were cool relative to their preferred temperature. This study adds to the growing body of work indicating pronounced heat avoidance as a thermoregulatory strategy among tropical reptile populations.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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