Anti-predator meshing may provide greater protection for sea turtle nests than predator removal
| Autor: | Scott Burnett, Kate M. Hofmeister, Colin J. Limpus, Benjamin L. Allen, Julie M. O’Connor |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Topography Vulpes Beaches Physiology Oviposition Endangered species Foxes Predation Social Sciences lcsh:Medicine 01 natural sciences Bird egg law.invention Nesting Behavior Learning and Memory Nest law Reproductive Physiology Medicine and Health Sciences Psychology Turtle (robot) lcsh:Science Predator Conservation Science Mammals Multidisciplinary biology Ecology Reproduction Turtles Trophic Interactions Chemistry Sea turtle Community Ecology Vertebrates Physical Sciences Clutches Research Article Chemical Elements 010603 evolutionary biology Animals Learning Landforms 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Ecology and Environmental Sciences Endangered Species lcsh:R Organisms Cognitive Psychology Biology and Life Sciences Reptiles Geomorphology biology.organism_classification Fishery Testudines Predatory Behavior Amniotes Earth Sciences Cognitive Science lcsh:Q Neuroscience Aluminum |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE, Vol 12, Iss 2, p e0171831 (2017) PLoS ONE |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| Popis: | The problem of how to protect sea turtle nests from terrestrial predators is of worldwide concern. On Queensland's southern Sunshine Coast, depredation of turtle nests by the introduced European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has been recorded as the primary terrestrial cause of egg and hatchling mortality. We investigated the impact of foxes on the nests of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and occasional green turtle (Chelonia mydas) over ten nesting seasons. Meshing of nests with fox exclusion devices (FEDs) was undertaken in all years accompanied by lethal fox control in the first five-year period, but not in the second five-year period. Lethal fox control was undertaken in the study area from 2005 to February 2010, but foxes still breached 27% (range19-52%) of turtle nests. In the second five-year period, despite the absence of lethal fox control, the average percentage of nests breached was less than 3% (range 0-4%). Comparison of clutch depredation rates in the two five-year periods demonstrated that continuous nest meshing may be more effective than lethal fox control in mitigating the impact of foxes on turtle nests. In the absence of unlimited resources available for the eradication of exotic predators, the use of FEDs and the support and resourcing of a dedicated volunteer base can be considered an effective turtle conservation tool on some beaches. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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