Metabolic responses to increased temperatures in three semi-aquatic turtle species from the southeastern United States

被引:1
|
作者
Haskins, David L. [1 ,2 ,3 ]
Tuberville, Tracey D. [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Georgia, Savannah River Ecol Lab, Aiken, SC 29802 USA
[2] Univ Georgia, Interdisciplinary Toxicol Program, Athens, GA 30605 USA
[3] Univ Georgia, Warnell Sch Forestry & Nat Resources, Athens, GA 30605 USA
关键词
Metabolic rate; Aestivation; Deirochelys reticularia; Kinosternon subrubrum; Sternotherus odoratus; Seasonal wetlands; FRESH-WATER TURTLES; DEIROCHELYS-RETICULARIA; STERNOTHERUS-ODORATUS; TERRESTRIAL MOVEMENTS; ISOLATED WETLANDS; CLIMATE-CHANGE; COASTAL-PLAIN; MUD TURTLE; DROUGHT; CAROLINA;
D O I
10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103331
中图分类号
Q [生物科学];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Physiological maintenance of ectotherms is largely dependent on temperature. Abrupt changes in environmental conditions can cause shifts in energy budgets, with higher temperatures requiring more energy be devoted to maintenance functions, making less energy available for other activities. As a group, freshwater turtles are of conservation concern; thus, it is important to understand their physiological responses to temperature shifts, particularly given current climate change predictions. We quantified metabolic rates (MR) for three species of semi-aquatic turtles that vary in their degree of terrestriality and propensity to aestivate: chicken turtles (Deir-ochelys reticularia), eastern mud turtles (Kinosternon subrubrum), and eastern musk turtles (Sternotherus odoratus). Metabolic trials were performed using a flow-through respirometer at three environmentally-relevant temper-atures: 25 degrees C, 30 degrees C, and 35 degrees C. As expected, MRs of turtles were significantly and positively associated with increases in mass and temperature. Pairwise comparisons revealed that D. reticularia exhibited significantly higher oxygen consumption rates (VO2) relative to K. subrubrum , which had significantly higher VO2 than S. odoratus. The combination of higher metabolic rates, the tendency to terrestrially aestivate, and declining quantity of high quality thermal habitats may place some semi-aquatic turtles at a disadvantage when consid-ering future climate scenarios. Our findings, when combined with knowledge of other ecological traits, may be a useful tool for predicting relative sensitivities of turtle species to predicted climate change, particularly those species inhabiting seasonal wetlands.
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页数:8
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