Article
Ecology
Joseph A. Butler, J. David Lambert, Michelle DeDeo, Daniel P. Murphy
Summary: Diamondback terrapins are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List Index of Threatened Species due to various threats including habitat loss and mortality caused by predators and human activities. This study aimed to locate populations and nesting areas of diamondback terrapins in four counties in Florida. The researchers collected data on terrapin activity and found that the presence of specific woody plant species influenced nesting site choices.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Molly Hillenbrand, Meiyin Wu, Simone Braeuer, Walter Goessler, Xiaona Li
Summary: The study investigated the total concentrations of trace elements in different tissues of diamondback terrapins and common snapping turtles in New Jersey and found significant differences among tissue types and sex. Certain trace elements were found to accumulate in specific tissue types of the turtles, with variations based on sex. Size and collection location did not show correlation with trace element bioaccumulation in either species.
BIOLOGICAL TRACE ELEMENT RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Elizabeth A. Ashley, Andrew K. Davis, Vanessa K. Terrell, Connor Lake, Cady Carden, Lauren Head, Rebacca Choe, John C. Maerz
Summary: High salinity significantly reduces hatchling growth, with hatchlings in 20 ppt and 35 ppt salinities exhibiting appetite suppression and saltwater avoidance. Elevated H:L ratios among hatchlings in 20 and 35 ppt salinities indicate a corticosterone-driven stress response to sustained high-salinity exposure. Spatiotemporal variation in habitat salinity and freshwater accessibility influences hatchling growth and distribution, potentially impacting terrapin demography and abundance.
Article
Zoology
Andrew J. Heaton, Michael J. Archer, Christina Mohrman, Jonathan L. Pitchford
Summary: This article describes the decrease in nesting habitat length and the decrease in the number of nests for Diamondback terrapins in the Grand Bay area, possibly due to high erosion rates.
CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Margaret M. Lamont, Darren Johnson, Daniel J. Catizone
Summary: The research tracked two diamondback terrapin individuals in Northwest Florida using satellite tags for 146 and 147 days, revealing unexpectedly long distances traveled and larger home ranges than previously reported. These findings suggest that habitat protection for this species may need to be expanded to incorporate more distant foraging sites.
ESTUARIES AND COASTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Wenquan Zhen, Kit Yue Kwan, Chun-Chieh Wang, Xuwen Wu, Guo Guo, Qiuxiang Deng, Xing Huang, Xueping Wang, Junhua Zhu, Peng Xu
Summary: Introduced mangroves are widely used for mangrove ecosystem restoration in South China, but their potential impacts on benthic macroinvertebrates are still uncertain. This study explored the community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates in the mangrove ecosystem of northern Beibu Gulf, China and found that introduced Laguncularia racemosa mangrove had higher diversity and evenness but lower species richness and similarity compared to native Avicennia marina and mixed mangroves. These findings suggest that native mangroves should be prioritized in ecosystem restoration due to the lack of consensus on potential impacts of introduced mangroves on benthic macroinvertebrates.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Eric Suarez, Travis M. Thomas, William M. Turner, Ryan L. Gandy, Kevin M. Enge, Steve A. Johnson
Summary: The study conducted by the authors on the ornate diamondback terrapin (M. t. macrospilota) in the eastern panhandle of Florida revealed a population size of approximately 1282 individuals and a density of 150 terrapins per hectare. The research also indicated a decreasing population trend, suggesting that this population is a seasonal migratory aggregation.
CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Nicole Lewis, Brian Zarate, John Wnek, Benjamin Wurst
Summary: The diamond-backed terrapin, a popular species in the pet trade and the illegal wildlife trade, has experienced significant population declines. There is a need to develop standard operating procedures for repatriating confiscated terrapins into the wild, and understanding the pathogens circulating in the wild population is crucial. Our study found that a percentage of the sampled terrapins were positive for Mycoplasmopsis, while none tested positive for ranavirus or herpesviruses. The findings contribute to the current knowledge and can help guide decision making for the reintroduction of confiscated terrapins.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Savannah Weber, Joshua A. Cullen, Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes
Summary: Sympatric marine turtle species may exhibit competition for resources, as shown by the high degrees of isotopic overlap among loggerhead, green, and Kemp's ridley turtles in this study. Green turtles had the widest range of isotopic values, indicating higher variability in diet and habitat type. Loggerhead turtles exhibited slightly different micro-environmental foraging behavior compared to the other species, as indicated by their enriched mean delta S-34. Kemp's ridley turtles were found to have the narrowest use of resources. This study provides valuable insights into the foraging ecology of sympatric marine turtle species and can inform multispecies management efforts.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Lifeng Li, Wenai Liu, Jingwen Ai, Shuangjiao Cai, Jianwen Dong
Summary: Restoring mangroves in protected coastal habitats is challenging. We identified suitable areas for mangrove protection and restoration by studying the spatial distributions of six dominant species and their related environmental factors. Our findings indicate that topographic and bioclimatic factors have the greatest impact on the distribution of suitable mangrove habitats in the Beibu Gulf, followed by land use type, salinity, and substrate type.
Article
Ecology
Hiroki Hata, Yohsuke Uemura, Kaito Ouchi
Summary: The decline of native unionid mussels has led to an increase in invasive hybridisation between native and introduced bitterling fish species, as they compete for breeding substrate. The rapid decline of host mussel species and introduction of an invasive congener interact to cause a cascade of extinctions in native species, with obligate parasite species being threatened by the disappearing host species.
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Patricia Levasseur, Michael T. Jones, Barbara Brennessel, Robert Prescott, Mark Faherty, Chris Sutherland
Summary: The status, size, and density of Diamondback Terrapin populations along the Atlantic coast have been reported as unknown or declining. Using spatial capture-recapture (SCR) methods, the study presents the first application of SCR to analyze Diamondback Terrapins in two known activity areas in Massachusetts. The results show that detection of terrapins is influenced by survey effort, day of the season, tide cycle, time of tide, survey time relative to the tide, cloud cover, and windspeed. The study also found significant differences in density and space use between the two sites, as well as a female-biased sex ratio. This study demonstrates the usefulness of SCR methods in estimating population size and density, while providing insights into space use and detection in Diamondback Terrapins.
JOURNAL OF HERPETOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Olivia K. Bates, Cleo Bertelsmeier
Summary: Studies on niche conservatism assumptions in predicting biological invasions have shown contradictory results, revealing uncertainties in the frequency of niche shifts, potential biases towards conservatism, and the need for a new focus on trends or relative degrees of niche change. Additional experimental studies and computational analyses are recommended to address the mechanisms of niche shifts.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sanny Castro, Wanilson Luiz-Silva, Wilson Machado, Everton Valezio
Summary: The study reveals that mangroves have the capacity to retain mercury over millennial time scales, acting as significant and long-term mercury sinks. Despite high mercury concentrations in mangrove sediments both before and after industrialization, mainly attributed to emissions from chlor-alkali industry and fine grain size and algal organic deposition, the less anomalous mercury concentrations in bottom sediments indicate Holocene ages potentially associated with weathering of the Serra do Mar mountains.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
L. Broder, C. Hirst, S. Opfergelt, M. Thomas, J. E. Vonk, N. Haghipour, T. I. Eglinton, J. Fouche
Summary: The ongoing shrinkage of Greenland's icecap and thawing of permafrost are releasing ancient organic carbon into the environment. Some of this carbon is associated with minerals and may be transported to marine environments. However, the specific impacts on climate are still uncertain.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
