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Pablo Hurtado-Gómez J, Vargas-Ramírez M, Iverson JB, Joyce W, McCranie J, Paetzold C, Fritz U. Diversity and biogeography of South American mud turtles elucidated by multilocus DNA sequencing (Testudines: Kinosternidae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2024:108083. [PMID: 38679303 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Kinosternon is the most speciose genus of extant turtles, with 22 currently recognized species, distributed across large parts of the Americas. Most species have small distributions, but ranges K. leucostomum and K. scorpioides range from Mexico to South America. Previous studies have found discordance between mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies in some kinosternid groups, with the current taxonomy following the nuclear-based results. Herein, based on extended molecular, geographic and taxonomic sampling, we explore the phylogeographic structure and taxonomic limits for K. leucostomum and the K. scorpioides group and present a fossil-calibrated nuclear time tree for Kinosternon. Our results reveal contrasting differentiation patterns for the K. scorpioides group and K. leucostomum, despite overlapping distributions. Kinosternon leucostomum shows only shallow geographic divergence, whereas the K. scorpioides group is polyphyletic with up to 10 distinct taxa, some of them undescribed. We support the elevation of K. s. albogulare and K. s. cruentatum to species level. Given the deep divergence within the genus Kinosternon, we propose the recognition of three subgenera, Kinosternon, Cryptochelys and Thyrosternum, and the abandonment of the group-based classification, at least for the K. leucostomum and K. scorpioides groups. Our results show an initial split in Kinosternon that gave rise to two main radiations, one Nearctic and one mainly Neotropical. Most speciation events in Kinosternon occurred during the Quaternary and we hypothesize that they were mediated by both climatic and geological events. Additionally, our data imply that at least three South American colonizations occurred, two in the K. leucostomum group, and one in the K. scorpioides group. Additionally, we hypothesize that discordance between mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenetic signal is due to mitochondrial capture from an extinct kinosternine lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mario Vargas-Ramírez
- Grupo Biodiversidad y Conservación Genética, Instituto de Genética, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; Estación de Biología Tropical Roberto Franco (EBTRF), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Villavicencio, Colombia
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
| | - Walter Joyce
- Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - James McCranie
- Smithsonian Research Associate, 10770 SW 164th Street, Miami, FL 33157, USA
| | - Claudia Paetzold
- Museum of Zoology, Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, 01109 Dresden, Germany
| | - Uwe Fritz
- Museum of Zoology, Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, 01109 Dresden, Germany.
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2
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Bodensteiner BL, Iverson JB, Lea CA, Milne-Zelman CL, Mitchell TS, Refsnider JM, Voves K, Warner DA, Janzen FJ. Mother knows best: nest-site choice homogenizes embryo thermal environments among populations in a widespread ectotherm. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220155. [PMID: 37427473 PMCID: PMC10331915 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Species with large geographical ranges provide an excellent model for studying how different populations respond to dissimilar local conditions, particularly with respect to variation in climate. Maternal effects, such as nest-site choice greatly affect offspring phenotypes and survival. Thus, maternal behaviour has the potential to mitigate the effects of divergent climatic conditions across a species' range. We delineated natural nesting areas of six populations of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) that span a broad latitudinal range and quantified spatial and temporal variation in nest characteristics. To quantify microhabitats available for females to choose, we also identified sites within the nesting area of each location that were representative of available thermal microhabitats. Across the range, females nested non-randomly and targeted microhabitats that generally had less canopy cover and thus higher nest temperatures. Nest microhabitats differed among locations but did not predictably vary with latitude or historic mean air temperature during embryonic development. In conjunction with other studies of these populations, our results suggest that nest-site choice is homogenizing nest environments, which buffers embryos from thermally induced selection and could slow embryonic evolution. Thus, although effective at a macroclimatic scale, nest-site choice is unlikely to compensate for novel stressors that rapidly increase local temperatures. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke L. Bodensteiner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - John B. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 60071, USA
| | - Carter A. Lea
- Office of Research Proposal Development, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
| | | | - Timothy S. Mitchell
- College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Jeanine M. Refsnider
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
| | | | - Daniel A. Warner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Fredric J. Janzen
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
- Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI 49060, USA
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3
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Gallego-García N, Ihlow F, Ettmar S, Iverson JB, Fritz U. Where to set the bar? Recent descriptions inflate species number in South American toad-headed turtles (Mesoclemmys). Zootaxa 2023; 5263:566-574. [PMID: 37044968 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.4.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Gallego-García
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Los Angeles; CA; 90095; USA.
| | - Flora Ihlow
- Computational Landscape Ecology; Institute of Geography; Technische Universität Dresden; Helmholtzstraße 10; 01069 Dresden; Germany.
| | - Stephan Ettmar
- Museum of Zoology; Senckenberg Dresden; A.B. Meyer Building; 01109 Dresden; Germany.
| | - John B Iverson
- ZooCon-Zoological Consulting; Schönbergerweg 4; 7201 Neudörfl; Austria.
| | - Uwe Fritz
- Department of Biology; Earlham College; 801 National Road West; Richmond; IN; 47374; USA.
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4
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French SS, Lewis EL, Ki KC, Cullen ZE, Webb AC, Knapp CR, Iverson JB, Butler MW. Blood chemistry and biliverdin differ according to reproduction and tourism in a free-living lizard. J Comp Physiol B 2023; 193:315-328. [PMID: 36995413 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-023-01483-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Changes in the physiological health of species are an essential indicator of changing conditions and environmental challenges. Reponses to environmental challenges can often induce stress, influence physiology, and change metabolism in organisms. Here we tested blood chemistry parameters indicative of stress and metabolic activity using an i-STAT point-of-care blood analyzer in seven populations of free-ranging rock iguanas exposed to varying levels of tourism and supplemental feeding. We found significant differences in blood chemistry (glucose, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hematocrit, hemoglobin, calcium, potassium, and biliverdin levels) among populations exposed to varying levels of tourism, and some variation between sexes and reproductive states. However, different variables are not directly related to one another, suggesting that the causal physiological pathways driving tourism-induced differences are influenced by mechanisms that are not detected by common analyses of blood chemistry. Future work should investigate upstream regulators of these factors affected by tourism. Regardless, these blood metrics are known to be both stress sensitive and related to metabolic activity, suggesting that exposure to tourism and associated supplemental feeding by tourists are generally driven by stress-related changes in blood chemistry, biliverdin, and metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susannah S French
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA.
- Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA.
| | - Erin L Lewis
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
- Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Kwanho C Ki
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
- Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Zachary E Cullen
- Department of Biology, Lafayette College, Easton, PA, 18042, USA
| | - Alison C Webb
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
- Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
| | - Charles R Knapp
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, USA
| | - Michael W Butler
- Department of Biology, Lafayette College, Easton, PA, 18042, USA
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5
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Bronikowski AM, Hedrick AR, Kutz GA, Holden KG, Reinke B, Iverson JB. Sex-specific innate immunity and ageing in long-lived fresh water turtles (Kinosternon flavescens: Kinosternidae). Immun Ageing 2023; 20:11. [PMID: 36894996 PMCID: PMC9997018 DOI: 10.1186/s12979-023-00335-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The progressive deregulation of the immune system with age, termed immunosenescence, has been well studied in mammalian systems, but studies of immune function in long-lived, wild, non-mammalian populations are scarce. In this study we leverage a 38-year mark-recapture study to quantify the relationships among age, sex, survival, reproductive output and the innate immune system in a long-lived reptile, yellow mud turtles (Kinosternon flavescens; Testudines; Kinosternidae). METHODS We estimated rates of survival and age-specific mortality by sex based on mark-recapture data for 1530 adult females and 860 adult males over 38 years of captures. We analyzed bactericidal competence (BC), and two immune responses to foreign red blood cells - natural antibody-mediated haemagglutination (NAbs), and complement-mediated haemolysis ability (Lys) - in 200 adults (102 females; 98 males) that ranged from 7 to 58 years of age captured in May 2018 during their emergence from brumation, and for which reproductive output and long-term mark-recapture data were available. RESULTS We found that females are smaller and live longer than males in this population, but the rate of accelerating mortality across adulthood is the same for both sexes. In contrast, males exhibited higher innate immunity than females for all three immune variables we measured. All immune responses also varied inversely with age, indicating immunosenescence. For females that reproduced in the preceding reproductive season, egg mass (and therefore total clutch mass) increased with age,. In addition to immunosenescence of bactericidal competence, females that produced smaller clutches also had lower bactericidal competence. CONCLUSIONS Contrary to the general vertebrate pattern of lower immune responses in males than females (possibly reflecting the suppressive effects of androgens), we found higher levels of all three immune variables in males. In addition, contrary to previous work that found no evidence of immunosenescence in painted turtles or red-eared slider turtles, we found a decrease in bactericidal competence, lysis ability, and natural antibodies with age in yellow mud turtles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne M Bronikowski
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA. .,Department of Integrative Biology, Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, 3700 E. Gull Lake Rd., Hickory Corners, MI, 49060, USA.
| | - Ashley R Hedrick
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Greta A Kutz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Kaitlyn G Holden
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Beth Reinke
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL, 60625, USA
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, 47374, USA.
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6
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Iverson JB. Climate-Mediated Recruitment Failure in a Turtle Population and Its Bearing on Northern Limits of Distribution. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2022. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1554.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John B. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA []
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7
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Reinke BA, Cayuela H, Janzen FJ, Lemaître JF, Gaillard JM, Lawing AM, Iverson JB, Christiansen DG, Martínez-Solano I, Sánchez-Montes G, Gutiérrez-Rodríguez J, Rose FL, Nelson N, Keall S, Crivelli AJ, Nazirides T, Grimm-Seyfarth A, Henle K, Mori E, Guiller G, Homan R, Olivier A, Muths E, Hossack BR, Bonnet X, Pilliod DS, Lettink M, Whitaker T, Schmidt BR, Gardner MG, Cheylan M, Poitevin F, Golubović A, Tomović L, Arsovski D, Griffiths RA, Arntzen JW, Baron JP, Le Galliard JF, Tully T, Luiselli L, Capula M, Rugiero L, McCaffery R, Eby LA, Briggs-Gonzalez V, Mazzotti F, Pearson D, Lambert BA, Green DM, Jreidini N, Angelini C, Pyke G, Thirion JM, Joly P, Léna JP, Tucker AD, Limpus C, Priol P, Besnard A, Bernard P, Stanford K, King R, Garwood J, Bosch J, Souza FL, Bertoluci J, Famelli S, Grossenbacher K, Lenzi O, Matthews K, Boitaud S, Olson DH, Jessop TS, Gillespie GR, Clobert J, Richard M, Valenzuela-Sánchez A, Fellers GM, Kleeman PM, Halstead BJ, Grant EHC, Byrne PG, Frétey T, Le Garff B, Levionnois P, Maerz JC, Pichenot J, Olgun K, Üzüm N, Avcı A, Miaud C, Elmberg J, Brown GP, Shine R, Bendik NF, O'Donnell L, Davis CL, Lannoo MJ, Stiles RM, Cox RM, Reedy AM, Warner DA, Bonnaire E, Grayson K, Ramos-Targarona R, Baskale E, Muñoz D, Measey J, de Villiers FA, Selman W, Ronget V, Bronikowski AM, Miller DAW. Diverse aging rates in ectothermic tetrapods provide insights for the evolution of aging and longevity. Science 2022; 376:1459-1466. [PMID: 35737773 DOI: 10.1126/science.abm0151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Comparative studies of mortality in the wild are necessary to understand the evolution of aging; yet, ectothermic tetrapods are underrepresented in this comparative landscape, despite their suitability for testing evolutionary hypotheses. We present a study of aging rates and longevity across wild tetrapod ectotherms, using data from 107 populations (77 species) of nonavian reptiles and amphibians. We test hypotheses of how thermoregulatory mode, environmental temperature, protective phenotypes, and pace of life history contribute to demographic aging. Controlling for phylogeny and body size, ectotherms display a higher diversity of aging rates compared with endotherms and include phylogenetically widespread evidence of negligible aging. Protective phenotypes and life-history strategies further explain macroevolutionary patterns of aging. Analyzing ectothermic tetrapods in a comparative context enhances our understanding of the evolution of aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth A Reinke
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Hugo Cayuela
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Fredric J Janzen
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
| | | | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Université Lyon 1, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, Villeurbanne, France
| | - A Michelle Lawing
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, USA
| | - Ditte G Christiansen
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Iñigo Martínez-Solano
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gregorio Sánchez-Montes
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge Gutiérrez-Rodríguez
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Francis L Rose
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, USA
| | - Nicola Nelson
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Susan Keall
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Alain J Crivelli
- Research Institute for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands, Tour du Valat, Arles, France
| | | | - Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth
- Department Conservation Biology and Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Klaus Henle
- Department Conservation Biology and Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Emiliano Mori
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | | | - Rebecca Homan
- Biology Department, Denison University, Granville, OH, USA
| | - Anthony Olivier
- Research Institute for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands, Tour du Valat, Arles, France
| | - Erin Muths
- US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Blake R Hossack
- US Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Xavier Bonnet
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, CNRS UMR 7372 - Université de La Rochelle, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - David S Pilliod
- US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, ID, USA
| | | | | | - Benedikt R Schmidt
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Info Fauna Karch, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
| | - Michael G Gardner
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Evolutionary Biology Unit, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Marc Cheylan
- PSL Research University, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul-Valéry, Montpellier, France
| | - Françoise Poitevin
- PSL Research University, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul-Valéry, Montpellier, France
| | - Ana Golubović
- Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ljiljana Tomović
- Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Richard A Griffiths
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
| | | | - Jean-Pierre Baron
- Ecole normale supérieure, PSL University, Département de biologie, CNRS, UMS 3194, Centre de recherche en écologie expérimentale et prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France
| | - Jean-François Le Galliard
- Ecole normale supérieure, PSL University, Département de biologie, CNRS, UMS 3194, Centre de recherche en écologie expérimentale et prédictive (CEREEP-Ecotron IleDeFrance), Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRA, UPEC, IRD, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, iEES-Paris, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Tully
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, INRA, UPEC, IRD, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, iEES-Paris, Paris, France
| | - Luca Luiselli
- Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation and Cooperation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Animal and Applied Biology, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
- Department of Zoology, University of Lomé, Lomé, Togo
| | | | - Lorenzo Rugiero
- Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation and Cooperation, Rome, Italy
| | - Rebecca McCaffery
- US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Port Angeles, WA, USA
| | - Lisa A Eby
- Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
| | - Frank Mazzotti
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
| | - David Pearson
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Wanneroo, WA, Australia
| | - Brad A Lambert
- Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - David M Green
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | | | - Graham Pyke
- Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, CN, Kunming, PR China
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Pierre Joly
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Jean-Paul Léna
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR5023 LEHNA, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Anton D Tucker
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Parks and Wildlife Service-Marine Science Program, Kensington, WA, Australia
| | - Col Limpus
- Threatened Species Operations, Queensland Department of Environment and Science, Ecosciences Precinct, Dutton Park, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Aurélien Besnard
- CNRS, EPHE, UM, SupAgro, IRD, INRA, UMR 5175 CEFE, PSL Research University, Montpelier, France
| | - Pauline Bernard
- Conservatoire d'espaces naturels d'Occitanie, Montpellier, France
| | - Kristin Stanford
- Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory, The Ohio State University, Put-In-Bay, OH, USA
| | - Richard King
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA
| | - Justin Garwood
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Arcata, CA, USA
| | - Jaime Bosch
- Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- IMIB-Biodiversity Research Unit, University of Oviedo-Principality of Asturias, Mieres, Spain
- Centro de Investigación, Seguimiento y Evaluación, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, Rascafría, Spain
| | - Franco L Souza
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Jaime Bertoluci
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Shirley Famelli
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Environmental Research Institute, North Highland College, University of the Highlands and Islands, Thurso, Scotland, UK
| | | | - Omar Lenzi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Kathleen Matthews
- USDA Forest Service (Retired), Pacific Southwest Research Station, Albany, CA, USA
| | - Sylvain Boitaud
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Deanna H Olson
- USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Tim S Jessop
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Geelong, VIC, Australia
| | - Graeme R Gillespie
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Palmerston, NT, Australia
| | - Jean Clobert
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS-UMR532, Saint Girons, France
| | - Murielle Richard
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale de Moulis, CNRS-UMR532, Saint Girons, France
| | - Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez
- Instituto de Conservación, Biodiversidad y Territorio, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
- ONG Ranita de Darwin, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Gary M Fellers
- US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes, CA, USA
| | - Patrick M Kleeman
- US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Point Reyes National Seashore, Point Reyes, CA, USA
| | - Brian J Halstead
- US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, Dixon, CA, USA
| | - Evan H Campbell Grant
- US Geological Survey Eastern Ecological Research Center (formerly Patuxent Wildlife Research Center), S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center, Turners Falls, MA, USA
| | - Phillip G Byrne
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | | | | | | | - John C Maerz
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Julian Pichenot
- Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Eco-éthologie, URCA-CERFE, Boult-aux-Bois, France
| | - Kurtuluş Olgun
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey
| | - Nazan Üzüm
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey
| | - Aziz Avcı
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey
| | - Claude Miaud
- PSL Research University, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul-Valéry, Montpellier, France
| | - Johan Elmberg
- Department of Environmental Science and Bioscience, Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, Sweden
| | - Gregory P Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Richard Shine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Nathan F Bendik
- Watershed Protection Department, City of Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Lisa O'Donnell
- Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, City of Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | | | | | - Robert M Cox
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Aaron M Reedy
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Daniel A Warner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Eric Bonnaire
- Office National des Forêts, Agence de Meurthe-et-Moselle, Nancy, France
| | - Kristine Grayson
- Department of Biology, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, USA
| | | | - Eyup Baskale
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey
| | - David Muñoz
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - John Measey
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - F Andre de Villiers
- Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Will Selman
- Department of Biology, Millsaps College, Jackson, MS, USA
| | - Victor Ronget
- Unité Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France
| | - Anne M Bronikowski
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
- W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University, Hickory Corners, MI, USA
| | - David A W Miller
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
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8
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Reynolds RG, Miller AH, Pasachnik SA, Knapp CR, Welch ME, Colosimo G, Gerber GP, Drawert B, Iverson JB. Phylogenomics and historical biogeography of West Indian Rock Iguanas (genus Cyclura). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 174:107548. [PMID: 35690377 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The genus Cyclura includes nine extant species and six subspecies of West Indian Rock Iguanas and is one of the most imperiled genera of squamate reptiles globally. An understanding of species diversity, evolutionary relationships, diversification, and historical biogeography in this group is crucial for implementing sound long-term conservation strategies. We collected DNA samples from 1 to 10 individuals per taxon from all Cyclura taxa (n = 70 ingroup individuals), focusing where possible on incorporating individuals from different populations of each species. We also collected 1-2 individuals from each of seven outgroup species of iguanas (Iguana delicatissima; five Ctenosaura species) and Anolis sagrei (n = 12 total outgroup individuals). We used targeted genomic sequence capture to isolate and to sequence 1,872 loci comprising of 687,308 base pairs (bp) from each of the 82 individuals from across the nuclear genome. We extracted mitochondrial reads and assembled and annotated mitogenomes for all Cyclura taxa plus outgroup species. We present well-supported phylogenomic gene tree/species tree analyses for all extant species of Cyclura using ASTRAL-III, SVDQuartets, and StarBEAST2 methods, and discuss the taxonomic, biogeographic, and conservation implications of these data. We find a most recent common ancestor of the genus 9.91 million years ago. The earliest divergence within Cyclura separates C. pinguis from a clade comprising all other Cyclura. Within the latter group, a clade comprising C. carinata from the southern Lucayan Islands and C. ricordii from Hispaniola is the sister taxon to a clade comprising the other Cyclura. Among the other Cyclura, the species C. cornuta and C. stejnegeri (from Hispaniola and Isla Mona) form the sister taxon to a clade of species from Jamaica (C. collei), Cuba and Cayman Islands (C. nubila and C. lewisi), and the eastern (C. rileyi) and western (C. cychlura) Lucayan Islands. Cyclura cychlura and C. rileyi form a clade whose sister taxa are C. nubila and C. lewisi. Cyclura collei is the sister taxon to these four species combined.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Graham Reynolds
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Asheville, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804, USA.
| | - Aryeh H Miller
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina Asheville, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804, USA; Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | | | - Charles R Knapp
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Mark E Welch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762
| | - Giuliano Colosimo
- Department of Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Latium 00133, Italy
| | - Glenn P Gerber
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
| | - Brian Drawert
- Department of Computer Science, University of North Carolina Asheville, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804, USA
| | - John B Iverson
- Dept. of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
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9
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French SS, Hudson SB, Webb AC, Knapp CR, Virgin EE, Smith GD, Lewis EL, Iverson JB, DeNardo DF. Glucose tolerance of iguanas is affected by high-sugar diets in the lab and supplemental feeding by ecotourists in the wild. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274936. [PMID: 35448902 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
There is great interspecific variation in the nutritional composition of natural diets, and the varied nutritional content is physiologically tolerated because of evolutionarily based balances between diet composition and processing ability. However, as a result of landscape change and human exposure, unnatural diets are becoming widespread among wildlife without the necessary time for evolutionary matching between the diet and its processing. We tested how a controlled, unnatural high glucose diet affects glucose tolerance using captive green iguanas, and we performed similar glucose tolerance tests on wild Northern Bahamian rock iguanas that are either frequently fed grapes by tourists or experience no such supplementation. We evaluated both short and longer-term blood glucose responses and corticosterone (CORT) concentrations as changes have been associated with altered diets. Experimental glucose supplementation in the laboratory and tourist feeding in the wild both significantly affected glucose metabolism. When iguanas received a glucose-rich diet, we found greater acute increases in blood glucose following a glucose challenge. Relative to unfed iguanas, tourist-fed iguanas had significantly lower baseline CORT, higher baseline blood glucose, and slower returns to baseline glucose levels following a glucose challenge. Therefore, unnatural consumption of high amounts of glucose alters glucose metabolism in laboratory iguanas with short-term glucose treatment and free-living iguanas exposed to long-term feeding by tourists. Based on these results and the increasing prevalence of anthropogenically altered wildlife diets, the consequences of dietary changes on glucose metabolism should be further investigated across species, as such changes in glucose metabolism have health consequences in humans (e.g. diabetes).
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Affiliation(s)
- Susannah S French
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.,Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Spencer B Hudson
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.,Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Alison C Webb
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.,Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Charles R Knapp
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Emily E Virgin
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.,Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Geoffrey D Smith
- Biology Department, Dixie State University, Saint George, UT 84770, USA
| | - Erin L Lewis
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.,Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
| | - Dale F DeNardo
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
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10
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French SS, Webb AC, Wilcoxen TE, Iverson JB, DeNardo DF, Lewis EL, Knapp CR. Complex tourism and season interactions contribute to disparate physiologies in an endangered rock iguana. Conserv Physiol 2022; 10:coac001. [PMID: 35492404 PMCID: PMC9040281 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
To promote survival and fitness, organisms use a suite of physiological systems to respond to both predictable and unpredictable changes in the environment. These physiological responses are also influenced by changes in life history state. The continued activation of physiological systems stemming from persistent environmental perturbations enable animals to cope with these challenges but may over time lead to significant effects on the health of wildlife. In the present study, we tested how varying environmental perturbations driven by tourism and associated supplemental feeding affects the energetics, corticosterone and immunity of six discrete populations of the northern Bahamian rock iguana (Cyclura cychlura inornata and Cyclura cychlura figginsi). We studied populations within and outside the reproductive season and quantified tourist numbers during sample collection. Specifically, we measured clutch size, body condition, plasma energy metabolites, reactive oxygen species, baseline corticosterone concentrations and immune function of male and female iguanas from each population to address whether (i) disparate physiologies are emerging across a gradient of tourism and feeding, (ii) both subspecies respond similarly and (iii) responses vary with season/reproductive condition. We found significant effects of tourism level, season and their interaction on the physiology of both C. c. inornata and C. c. figginsi, supporting the idea that tourism is leading to the divergence of phenotypes. Specifically, we found elevated plasma energy metabolites, oxidative stress and a measure of innate immunity (bactericidal ability), but reduced corticosterone concentrations with increasing tourism in both subspecies of rock iguanas. These physiological metrics differ according to the level of tourism in both subspecies and persist across seasons despite variation with natural seasonal and reproductive changes. These findings suggest that anthropogenic disturbance results in disparate physiologies in northern Bahamian rock iguanas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susannah S French
- Corresponding author: Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA. Tel: (435)797-9175.
| | | | | | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
| | - Dale F DeNardo
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Erin L Lewis
- Department of Biology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
- Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Charles R Knapp
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
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11
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Tan WC, Ginal P, Rhodin AG, Iverson JB, Rödder D. A present and future assessment of the effectiveness of existing reserves in preserving three critically endangered freshwater turtles in Southeast Asia and South Asia. Frontiers of Biogeography 2022. [DOI: 10.21425/f5fbg50928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
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12
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Luiselli L, Di Vittorio M, Rhodin AGJ, Iverson JB. Variation of community assembly rules of a whole turtle family (Pelomedusidae) from continental to local scales in Africa. Ecol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1440-1703.12255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luca Luiselli
- Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation and Cooperation Rome Italy
- Department of Applied and Environmental Biology Rivers State University of Science and Technology Port Harcourt Nigeria
- Department of Zoology University of Lomé Lomé Togo
| | | | - Anders G. J. Rhodin
- Chelonian Research Foundation Arlington Vermont USA
- Turtle Conservancy Ojai California USA
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13
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Reyes-Grajales E, Macip-Ríos R, Iverson JB, Matamoros WA. Population Ecology and Morphology of the Central Chiapas Mud Turtle (Kinosternon abaxillare). Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2021. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1440.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Reyes-Grajales
- Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas. México. CP. 29039. Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México [; ]
| | - Rodrigo Macip-Ríos
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro 8701, Ex. Hacienda de San José La Huerta, 58190 Morelia, México []
| | - John B. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA []
| | - Wilfredo A. Matamoros
- Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas. México. CP. 29039. Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México [; ]
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14
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Hedrick AR, Greene DU, Lewis EL, Hood AS, Iverson JB. Climate effects on nesting phenology in Nebraska turtles. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:1225-1239. [PMID: 33598126 PMCID: PMC7863389 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
A frequent response of organisms to climate change is altering the timing of reproduction, and advancement of reproductive timing has been a common reaction to warming temperatures in temperate regions. We tested whether this pattern applied to two common North American turtle species over the past three decades in Nebraska, USA. The timing of nesting (either first date or average date) of the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) was negatively correlated with mean December maximum temperatures of the preceding year and mean May minimum and maximum temperatures in the nesting year and positively correlated with precipitation in July of the previous year. Increased temperatures during the late winter and spring likely permit earlier emergence from hibernation, increased metabolic rates and feeding opportunities, and accelerated vitellogenesis, ovulation, and egg shelling, all of which could drive earlier nesting. However, for the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta), the timing of nesting was positively correlated with mean minimum temperatures in September, October, December of the previous year, February of the nesting year, and April precipitation. These results suggest warmer fall, and winter temperature may impose an increased metabolic cost to painted turtles that impedes fall vitellogenesis, and April rains may slow the completion of vitellogenesis through decreased basking opportunities. For both species, nest deposition was highly correlated with body size, and larger females nested earlier in the season. Although average annual ambient temperatures have increased over the last four decades of our overall fieldwork at our study site, spring temperatures have not yet increased, and hence, nesting phenology has not advanced at our site for Chelydra. While Chrysemys exhibited a weak trend toward later nesting, this response was likely due to increased recruitment of smaller females into the population due to nest protection and predator control (Procyon lotor) in the early 2000s. Should climate change result in an increase in spring temperatures, nesting phenology would presumably respond accordingly, conditional on body size variation within these populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley R. Hedrick
- Department of BiologyEarlham CollegeRichmondINUSA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal BiologyIowa State UniversityAmesIAUSA
| | | | - Erin L. Lewis
- Department of BiologyEarlham CollegeRichmondINUSA
- Department of BiologyUtah State UniversityLoganUTUSA
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15
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Smith GR, Rettig JE, Iverson JB. Frequency of and Temporal Trends in Shell Anomalies in a Turtle Community in a Northern Indiana Lake. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2020. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1408.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey R. Smith
- Department of Biology, Denison University, Granville, Ohio 43023 USA [, ]
| | - Jessica E. Rettig
- Department of Biology, Denison University, Granville, Ohio 43023 USA [, ]
| | - John B. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA []
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16
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Iverson JB. Potential Environmental Basis for Megacephaly in the Eastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus). Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2020. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1407.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John B. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA []
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17
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Iverson JB, Lindeman PV, Lovich JE. Understanding reproductive allometry in turtles: A slippery "slope". Ecol Evol 2019; 9:11891-11903. [PMID: 31695895 PMCID: PMC6822033 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Measures of reproductive output in turtles are generally positively correlated with female body size. However, a full understanding of reproductive allometry in turtles requires logarithmic transformation of reproductive and body size variables prior to regression analyses. This allows for slope comparisons with expected linear or cubic relationships for linear to linear and linear to volumetric variables, respectively. We compiled scaling data using this approach from published and unpublished turtle studies (46 populations of 25 species from eight families) to quantify patterns among taxa. Our results suggest that for log-log comparisons of clutch size, egg width, egg mass, clutch mass, and pelvic aperture width to shell length, all scale hypoallometrically despite theoretical predictions of isometry. Clutch size generally scaled at ~1.7 to 2.0 (compared to an isometric expectation of 3.0), egg width at ~0.5 (compared to an expectation of 1.0), egg mass at ~1.1 to 1.3 (3.0), clutch mass at ~2.5 to 2.8 (3.0), and pelvic aperture width at 0.8-0.9 (1.0). We also found preliminary evidence that scaling may differ across years and clutches even in the same population, as well as across populations of the same species. Future investigators should aspire to collect data on all these reproductive parameters and to report log-log allometric analyses to test our preliminary conclusions regarding reproductive allometry in turtles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter V. Lindeman
- Department of Biology and Health SciencesEdinboro University of PennsylvaniaEdinboroPAUSA
| | - Jeffrey E. Lovich
- U.S. Geological SurveySouthwest Biological Science CenterFlagstaffAZUSA
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18
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Carter AL, Bodensteiner BL, Iverson JB, Milne‐Zelman CL, Mitchell TS, Refsnider JM, Warner DA, Janzen FJ. Breadth of the thermal response captures individual and geographic variation in temperature‐dependent sex determination. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anna L. Carter
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames IA USA
| | | | | | | | - Timothy S. Mitchell
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior University of Minnesota Minneapolis MN USA
| | | | - Daniel A. Warner
- Department of Biological Sciences Auburn University Auburn AL USA
| | - Fredric J. Janzen
- Department of Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology Iowa State University Ames IA USA
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19
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Valenzuela N, Literman R, Neuwald JL, Mizoguchi B, Iverson JB, Riley JL, Litzgus JD. Extreme thermal fluctuations from climate change unexpectedly accelerate demographic collapse of vertebrates with temperature-dependent sex determination. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4254. [PMID: 30862793 PMCID: PMC6414666 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40597-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Global climate is warming rapidly, threatening vertebrates with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) by disrupting sex ratios and other traits. Less understood are the effects of increased thermal fluctuations predicted to accompany climate change. Greater fluctuations could accelerate feminization of species that produce females under warmer conditions (further endangering TSD animals), or counter it (reducing extinction risk). Here we use novel experiments exposing eggs of Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta) to replicated profiles recorded in field nests plus mathematically-modified profiles of similar shape but wider oscillations, and develop a new mathematical model for analysis. We show that broadening fluctuations around naturally male-producing (cooler) profiles feminizes developing embryos, whereas embryos from warmer profiles remain female or die. This occurs presumably because wider oscillations around cooler profiles expose embryos to very low temperatures that inhibit development, and to feminizing temperatures where most embryogenesis accrues. Likewise, embryos incubated under broader fluctuations around warmer profiles experience mostly feminizing temperatures, some dangerously high (which increase mortality), and fewer colder values that are insufficient to induce male development. Therefore, as thermal fluctuations escalate with global warming, the feminization of TSD turtle populations could accelerate, facilitating extinction by demographic collapse. Aggressive global CO2 mitigation scenarios (RCP2.6) could prevent these risks, while intermediate actions (RCP4.5 and RCP6.0 scenarios) yield moderate feminization, highlighting the peril that insufficient reductions of greenhouse gas emissions pose for TSD taxa. If our findings are generalizable, TSD squamates, tuatara, and crocodilians that produce males at warmer temperatures could suffer accelerated masculinization, underscoring the broad taxonomic threats of climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Valenzuela
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.
| | - Robert Literman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Jennifer L Neuwald
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA.,Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Beatriz Mizoguchi
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, 47374, USA
| | - Julia L Riley
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, 7602, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, 7600, South Africa.,Department of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 2C6, Canada
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20
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Richardson KM, Iverson JB, Kurle CM. Marine subsidies likely cause gigantism of iguanas in the Bahamas. Oecologia 2019; 189:1005-1015. [PMID: 30850885 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04366-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We utilized natural experiment opportunities presented by differential conditions (presence/absence of seabirds and invasive species) on cays in the Bahamas to study whether interisland variations in food resources contributed to gigantism in Allen Cays Rock Iguanas (Cyclura cychlura inornata). We analyzed the stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values from iguana tissues and resources from each island food web to test the predictions that (1) food webs on islands with seabirds exhibit the influence of marine subsidies from seabird guano, whereas those from non-seabird islands do not, and (2) size differences in iguanas among cays were due to either (a) supplemental food availability from mice and/or seabird carcasses killed by barn owls (Tyto alba) and/or (b) access to more nutrient-rich vegetation fertilized by seabird guano. Food web components from the seabird island (Allen Cay) had 5-9‰ higher δ15N values than those on the other cays and Allen Cay plants contained nearly two times more nitrogen. Bayesian stable isotope mixing models indicated that C3 plants dominated iguana diets on all islands and showed no evidence for consumption of mice or shearwaters. The iguanas on Allen Cay were ~ 2 times longer (48.3 ± 11.6 cm) and ~ 6 times heavier (5499 ± 2847 g) than iguanas on other cays and this was likely from marine-derived subsidies from seabird guano which caused an increase in nitrogen concentration in the plants and a resultant increase in the δ15N values across the entire food web relative to non-seabird islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M Richardson
- Division of Biological Sciences, Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Section, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN, 47374, USA
| | - Carolyn M Kurle
- Division of Biological Sciences, Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Section, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0116, USA.
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21
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Bodensteiner BL, Warner DA, Iverson JB, Milne‐Zelman CL, Mitchell TS, Refsnider JM, Janzen FJ. Geographic variation in thermal sensitivity of early life traits in a widespread reptile. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:2791-2802. [PMID: 30891217 PMCID: PMC6405489 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Taxa with large geographic distributions generally encompass diverse macroclimatic conditions, potentially requiring local adaptation and/or phenotypic plasticity to match their phenotypes to differing environments. These eco-evolutionary processes are of particular interest in organisms with traits that are directly affected by temperature, such as embryonic development in oviparous ectotherms. Here we examine the spatial distribution of fitness-related early life phenotypes across the range of a widespread vertebrate, the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta). We quantified embryonic and hatchling traits from seven locations (in Idaho, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas, and New Mexico) after incubating eggs under constant conditions across a series of environmentally relevant temperatures. Thermal reaction norms for incubation duration and hatchling mass varied among locations under this common-garden experiment, indicating genetic differentiation or pre-ovulatory maternal effects. However, latitude, a commonly used proxy for geographic variation, was not a strong predictor of these geographic differences. Our findings suggest that this macroclimatic proxy may be an unreliable surrogate for microclimatic conditions experienced locally in nests. Instead, complex interactions between abiotic and biotic factors likely drive among-population phenotypic variation in this system. Understanding spatial variation in key life-history traits provides an important perspective on adaptation to contemporary and future climatic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke L. Bodensteiner
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Organismal BiologyIowa State UniversityAmesIowa
- Department of Biological SciencesVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburgVirginia
| | | | | | | | - Timothy S. Mitchell
- Department of Ecology Evolution and BehaviorUniversity of MinnesotaSaint PaulMinnesota
| | | | - Fredric J. Janzen
- Department of Ecology Evolution and Organismal BiologyIowa State UniversityAmesIowa
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22
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Webb AC, Iverson JB, Knapp CR, DeNardo DF, French SS. Energetic investment associated with vitellogenesis induces an oxidative cost of reproduction. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:461-472. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alison C. Webb
- Department of Biology; Utah State University; Logan Utah
- Ecology Center; Utah State University; Logan Utah
| | | | - Charles R. Knapp
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research; John G. Shedd Aquarium; Chicago Illinois
| | - Dale F. DeNardo
- School of Life Sciences; Arizona State University; Tempe Arizona
| | - Susannah S. French
- Department of Biology; Utah State University; Logan Utah
- Ecology Center; Utah State University; Logan Utah
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23
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Rhodin AG, Stanford CB, Dijk PPV, Eisemberg C, Luiselli L, Mittermeier RA, Hudson R, Horne BD, Goode EV, Kuchling G, Walde A, Baard EH, Berry KH, Bertolero A, Blanck TE, Bour R, Buhlmann KA, Cayot LJ, Collett S, Currylow A, Das I, Diagne T, Ennen JR, Forero-Medina G, Frankel MG, Fritz U, García G, Gibbons JW, Gibbons PM, Shiping G, Guntoro J, Hofmeyr MD, Iverson JB, Kiester AR, Lau M, Lawson DP, Lovich JE, Moll EO, Páez VP, Palomo-Ramos R, Platt K, Platt SG, Pritchard PC, Quinn HR, Rahman SC, Randrianjafizanaka ST, Schaffer J, Selman W, Shaffer HB, Sharma DS, Haitao S, Singh S, Spencer R, Stannard K, Sutcliffe S, Thomson S, Vogt RC. Global Conservation Status of Turtles and Tortoises (Order Testudines). Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2018. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1348.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Carla Eisemberg
- Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia [; sydney
| | - Luca Luiselli
- Institute for Development Ecology Conservation and Cooperation, Rome, Italy [
| | | | - Rick Hudson
- Turtle Survival Alliance, Charleston, South Carolina USA [; awalde@turtles
| | - Brian D. Horne
- Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, New York USA [; ]
| | - Eric V. Goode
- Turtle Conservancy, New York, New York USA [; ross@ turtleconservancy.org]
| | - Gerald Kuchling
- University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia []
| | - Andrew Walde
- Turtle Survival Alliance, Charleston, South Carolina USA [; awalde@turtles
| | | | - Kristin H. Berry
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Riverside, California USA [kristin_berry
| | | | | | - Roger Bour
- Laboratoire des Reptiles et Amphibiens, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France [bour.ro
| | - Kurt A. Buhlmann
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina USA [kbuhlmann@earth
| | | | - Sydney Collett
- Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia [; sydney
| | - Andrea Currylow
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California USA [;
| | - Indraneil Das
- Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia []
| | - Tomas Diagne
- African Chelonian Institute, Ngaparou, Senegal [fondsdev@ yahoo.fr]
| | - Joshua R. Ennen
- Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, Chattanooga, Tennessee USA []
| | | | | | - Uwe Fritz
- Museum für Tierkunde, Senckenberg Dresden, Germany []
| | - Gerardo García
- Chester Zoo, Upton by Chester, Chester, United Kingdom []
| | - J. Whitfield Gibbons
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina USA [kbuhlmann@earth
| | | | - Gong Shiping
- Guangdong Institute of Applied Biological Resources, Guangzhou, China []
| | - Joko Guntoro
- Satucita Foundation, Aceh, Indonesia [jokoguntoro@ gmail.com]
| | | | | | - A. Ross Kiester
- Turtle Conservancy, New York, New York USA [; ross@ turtleconservancy.org]
| | - Michael Lau
- Hong Kong Wetlands Conservation Association, Hong Kong, China []
| | - Dwight P. Lawson
- Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA []
| | - Jeffrey E. Lovich
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Flagstaff, Arizona USA [jeffrey_lovich@
| | | | | | | | | | - Steven G. Platt
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Yangon, Myanmar [sgplatt@gmail. com]
| | | | - Hugh R. Quinn
- Turtle Conservation Fund, Kirksville, Missouri USA []
| | | | | | - Jason Schaffer
- James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia []
| | - Will Selman
- Millsaps College, Jackson, Mississippi USA []
| | - H. Bradley Shaffer
- La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, University of California, Los Angeles, Californ
| | | | - Shi Haitao
- Hainan Normal University, Haikou, China [haitao-shi@263. net]
| | | | - Ricky Spencer
- Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia []
| | - Kahleana Stannard
- Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia [; sydney
| | - Sarah Sutcliffe
- Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia [; sydney
| | - Scott Thomson
- Chelonian Research Institute, Oviedo, Florida USA []
| | - Richard C. Vogt
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil []
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24
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Rodrigues JFM, Villalobos F, Iverson JB, Diniz-Filho JAF. Climatic niche evolution in turtles is characterized by phylogenetic conservatism for both aquatic and terrestrial species. J Evol Biol 2018; 32:66-75. [PMID: 30387214 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how the climatic niche of species evolved has been a topic of high interest in current theoretical and applied macroecological studies. However, little is known regarding how species traits might influence climatic niche evolution. Here, we evaluated patterns of climatic niche evolution in turtles (tortoises and freshwater turtles) and whether species habitat (terrestrial or aquatic) influences these patterns. We used phylogenetic, climatic and distribution data for 261 species to estimate their climatic niches. Then, we compared whether niche overlap between sister species was higher than between random species pairs and evaluated whether niche optima and rates varied between aquatic and terrestrial species. Sister species had higher values of niche overlap than random species pairs, suggesting phylogenetic climatic niche conservatism in turtles. The climatic niche evolution of the group followed an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model with different optimum values for aquatic and terrestrial species, but we did not find consistent evidence of differences in their rates of climatic niche evolution. We conclude that phylogenetic climatic niche conservatism occurs among turtle species. Furthermore, terrestrial and aquatic species occupy different climatic niches but these seem to have evolved at similar evolutionary rates, reinforcing the importance of habitat in understanding species climatic niches and their evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Fabrício M Rodrigues
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil
| | - Fabricio Villalobos
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil.,Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana
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25
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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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.
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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
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26
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Frye A(B, Hardy K, Hedrick AR, Iverson JB. Factors Affecting Nesting Times in the Painted TurtleChrysemys pictain Nebraska. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2017. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1208.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kate Hardy
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA []
| | - Ashley R. Hedrick
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA []
| | - John B. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA []
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27
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Iverson JB, Stahl RS, Furcolow C, Kraus F. An evaluation of the use of pentosidine as a biomarker for ageing turtles. Conserv Physiol 2017; 5:cow076. [PMID: 28149519 PMCID: PMC5269512 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cow076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Revised: 12/10/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Concentrations of the biomarker pentosidine have been shown to be useful measures of age for a number of avian and mammalian species. However, no study has examined its usefulness as an age marker in a long-lived ectotherm despite the fact that such a marker could prove useful in understanding age distributions of populations subject to conservation programmes. Therefore, we evaluated pentosidine concentrations in the interdigital webbing of 117 female yellow mud turtles (Kinosternon flavescens) at a 35 year study site in western Nebraska where nearly all turtles are of known age. Pentosidine concentrations were extraordinarily low and positively correlated with age in this turtle, but concentrations were too variable to permit precise estimates of age for turtles of unknown age. These results may reflect the remarkable physiological adaptations of this turtle to low temperatures and oxygen deprivation in a highly seasonal environment requiring prolonged hibernation. Whether pentosidine concentrations in other ectotherms occupying less seasonal environments would be more highly correlated with age remains to be determined. However, our results suggest that patterns of accumulation of pentosidine in ectotherms may be fundamentally different from those in endotherms.
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Affiliation(s)
- John B. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
| | - Randal S. Stahl
- APHIS, US Department of Agriculture, 4101 La Porte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
| | - Carol Furcolow
- APHIS, US Department of Agriculture, 4101 La Porte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
| | - Fred Kraus
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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28
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Edge CB, Rollinson N, Brooks RJ, Congdon JD, Iverson JB, Janzen FJ, Litzgus JD. Phenotypic plasticity of nest timing in a post-glacial landscape: how do reptiles adapt to seasonal time constraints? Ecology 2017; 98:512-524. [PMID: 27870008 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Revised: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Life histories evolve in response to constraints on the time available for growth and development. Nesting date and its plasticity in response to spring temperature may therefore be important components of fitness in oviparous ectotherms near their northern range limit, as reproducing early provides more time for embryos to complete development before winter. We used data collected over several decades to compare air temperature and nest date plasticity in populations of painted turtles and snapping turtles from a relatively warm environment (southeastern Michigan) near the southern extent of the last glacial maximum to a relatively cool environment (central Ontario) near the northern extent of post-glacial recolonization. For painted turtles, population-level differences in reaction norm elevation for two phenological traits were consistent with adaptation to time constraints, but no differences in reaction norm slopes were observed. For snapping turtle populations, the difference in reaction norm elevation for a single phenological trait was in the opposite direction of what was expected under adaptation to time constraints, and no difference in reaction norm slope was observed. Finally, among-individual variation in individual plasticity for nesting date was detected only in the northern population of snapping turtles, suggesting that reaction norms are less canalized in this northern population. Overall, we observed evidence of phenological adaptation, and possibly maladaptation, to time constraints in long-lived reptiles. Where present, (mal)adaptation occurred by virtue of differences in reaction norm elevation, not reaction norm slope. Glacial history, generation time, and genetic constraint may all play an important role in the evolution of phenological timing and its plasticity in long-lived reptiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Edge
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Njal Rollinson
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G5, Canada
| | - Ronald J Brooks
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Justin D Congdon
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Aiken, South Carolina, 29802, USA
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, 47374, USA
| | - Fredric J Janzen
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 50011, USA
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29
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Abstract
Laterality has been found in a variety of reptiles. In turtles, one important behaviour is the righting response. Here, we studied laterality of righting response of two species of freshwater turtles, the Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) and the Eastern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus). We found evidence of individual-level laterality in righting response in C. picta, but not S. odoratus. Neither species showed evidence of population-level laterality in righting response. Our results suggest that there is variation in the extent of laterality of righting response in turtles. Possible explanations for variation in laterality of righting response in turtles include shell shape and use of terrestrial habitats. However, more species of turtles need to be examined to demonstrate any general patterns in laterality of righting response in turtles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey R. Smith
- aDepartment of Biology, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023, USA
| | - Jessica E. Rettig
- aDepartment of Biology, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023, USA
| | - John B. Iverson
- bDepartment of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
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30
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Iverson JB, Klondaris H, Angell CS, Tori WP. Olfaction as a Cue for Nest-Site Choice in Turtles. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2016. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1199.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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31
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Butler CJ, Stanila BD, Iverson JB, Stone PA, Bryson M. Projected changes in climatic suitability for Kinosternon turtles by 2050 and 2070. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:7690-7705. [PMID: 27891218 PMCID: PMC5114705 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2016] [Revised: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Chelonians are expected to be negatively impacted by climate change due to limited vagility and temperature‐dependent sex determination. However, few studies have examined how freshwater turtle distributions may shift under different climate change scenarios. We used a maximum entropy approach to model the distribution of five widespread North American Kinosternon species (K. baurii, K. flavescens, K. hirtipes, K. sonoriense, and K. subrubrum) under four climate change scenarios. We found that areas with suitable climatic conditions for K. baurii and K. hirtipes are expected to decline substantially during the 21st century. In contrast, the area with suitable climate for K. sonoriense will remain essentially unchanged, while areas suitable for K. flavescens and K. subrubrum are expected to substantially increase. The centroid for the distribution of four of the five species shifted northward, while the centroid for K. sonoriense shifted slightly southward. Overall, centroids shifted at a median rate of 37.5 km per decade across all scenarios. Given the limited dispersal ability of turtles, it appears unlikely that range shifts will occur rapidly enough to keep pace with climate change during the 21st century. The ability of chelonians to modify behavioral and physiological responses in response to unfavorable conditions may allow turtles to persist for a time in areas that have become increasingly unsuitable, but this plasticity will likely only delay local extinctions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian D Stanila
- Department of Biology University of Central Oklahoma Edmond OK USA
| | | | - Paul A Stone
- Department of Biology University of Central Oklahoma Edmond OK USA
| | - Matthew Bryson
- Department of Biology University of Central Oklahoma Edmond OK USA
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32
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Aplasca AC, Iverson JB, Welch ME, Colosimo G, Hekkala ER. Genetic diversity and structure in the Endangered Allen Cays Rock Iguana, Cyclura cychlura inornata. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1793. [PMID: 26989628 PMCID: PMC4793328 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 02/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The Endangered Allen Cays Rock Iguana (Cyclura cychlura inornata) is endemic to the Allen Cays, a tiny cluster of islands in the Bahamas. Naturally occurring populations exist on only two cays (<4 ha each). However, populations of unknown origin were recently discovered on four additional cays. To investigate patterns of genetic variation among these populations, we analyzed nuclear and mitochondrial markers for 268 individuals. Analysis of three mitochondrial gene regions (2,328 bp) and data for eight nuclear microsatellite loci indicated low genetic diversity overall. Estimates of effective population sizes based on multilocus genotypes were also extremely low. Despite low diversity, significant population structuring and variation in genetic diversity measures were detected among cays. Genetic data confirm the source population for an experimentally translocated population while raising concerns regarding other, unauthorized, translocations. Reduced heterozygosity is consistent with a documented historical population decline due to overharvest. This study provides the first range-wide genetic analysis of this subspecies. We suggest strategies to maximize genetic diversity during ongoing recovery including additional translocations to establish assurance populations and additional protective measures for the two remaining natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea C Aplasca
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University, New York, NY, United States; Current affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College , Richmond, IN , United States
| | - Mark E Welch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University , Mississippi, MS , United States
| | - Giuliano Colosimo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University , Mississippi, MS , United States
| | - Evon R Hekkala
- Department of Biological Sciences, Fordham University , New York, NY , United States
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33
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Janes DE, Organ CL, Stiglec R, O'Meally D, Sarre SD, Georges A, Graves JAM, Valenzuela N, Literman RA, Rutherford K, Gemmell N, Iverson JB, Tamplin JW, Edwards SV, Ezaz T. Molecular evolution of Dmrt1 accompanies change of sex-determining mechanisms in reptilia. Biol Lett 2015; 10:20140809. [PMID: 25540158 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In reptiles, sex-determining mechanisms have evolved repeatedly and reversibly between genotypic and temperature-dependent sex determination. The gene Dmrt1 directs male determination in chicken (and presumably other birds), and regulates sex differentiation in animals as distantly related as fruit flies, nematodes and humans. Here, we show a consistent molecular difference in Dmrt1 between reptiles with genotypic and temperature-dependent sex determination. Among 34 non-avian reptiles, a convergently evolved pair of amino acids encoded by sequence within exon 2 near the DM-binding domain of Dmrt1 distinguishes species with either type of sex determination. We suggest that this amino acid shift accompanied the evolution of genotypic sex determination from an ancestral condition of temperature-dependent sex determination at least three times among reptiles, as evident in turtles, birds and squamates. This novel hypothesis describes the evolution of sex-determining mechanisms as turnover events accompanied by one or two small mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Janes
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Christopher L Organ
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Rami Stiglec
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Denis O'Meally
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Stephen D Sarre
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Arthur Georges
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Jennifer A M Graves
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Nicole Valenzuela
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Robert A Literman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Kim Rutherford
- Allen Wilson Centre, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Neil Gemmell
- Allen Wilson Centre, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - John B Iverson
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
| | - Jeffrey W Tamplin
- Department of Biology, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614, USA
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Tariq Ezaz
- Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
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34
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia P. Ceballos
- Grupo Centauro; Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria; Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Universidad de Antioquia; Carrera 75 no. 65-87 Medellín Colombia
| | - John B. Iverson
- Department of Biology; Earlham College; Richmond IN 47374 USA
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35
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Iverson JB, Le M, Ingram C. Molecular phylogenetics of the mud and musk turtle family Kinosternidae. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2013; 69:929-39. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2013.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2012] [Revised: 05/15/2013] [Accepted: 06/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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36
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Knapp CR, Hines KN, Zachariah TT, Perez-Heydrich C, Iverson JB, Buckner SD, Halach SC, Lattin CR, Romero LM. Physiological effects of tourism and associated food provisioning in an endangered iguana. Conserv Physiol 2013; 1:cot032. [PMID: 27293616 PMCID: PMC4806617 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cot032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2013] [Revised: 10/21/2013] [Accepted: 10/23/2013] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Deliberately feeding wildlife is an increasingly popular tourism-related activity despite a limited understanding of long-term impacts on the species being fed. As a result, tourist behaviours that may have adverse impacts on imperiled species have often been encouraged without the necessary evaluation or oversight. Here, we report the responses of Northern Bahamian Rock Iguanas (Cyclura cychlura) to human-visitation pressure and associated food provisioning. We compared a variety of blood chemistry parameters of iguanas subjected to supplemental feeding at popular tourist destinations with iguanas occurring on islands where supplemental feeding does not take place. We demonstrate that male and female iguanas inhabiting tourist-visited islands where supplemental feeding occurs do not differ in body condition or baseline stress and stress response (determined by corticosterone levels) compared with iguanas from non-visited islands. Both males and females from tourist-visited sites experienced a greater incidence of endoparasitic infection and atypical loose faeces. Indicators of dietary nutrition, including glucose, potassium, and uric acid values, also differed for both sexes from tourist-visited and unvisited islands. Male iguanas from visited islands differed significantly from those on non-visited islands in calcium, cholesterol, cobalt, copper, magnesium, packed cell volume, selenium, and triglyceride concentrations, whereas female iguanas from visited islands differed significantly in ionized calcium. Although the interpretation of these differences is challenging, chronic biochemical stressors could compromise individual health over time or decrease survivorship during periods of environmental stress. We suggest protocols that can be adopted throughout the region to ensure that supplemental feeding has fewer impacts on these long-lived iguanas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles R. Knapp
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Sandra D. Buckner
- PO Box N-8893, Villa Capulet, Montague Foreshore, Nassau, The Bahamas
| | - Shelley C. Halach
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL, USA
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Reyes-Velasco J, Iverson JB, Flores-Villela O. The Conservation Status of Several Endemic Mexican Kinosternid Turtles. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2013. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1017.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Iverson JB, Young CA, Akre TSB, Griffiths CM. Reproduction by Female Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in the Nebraska Sandhills. SOUTHWEST NAT 2012. [DOI: 10.1894/0038-4909-57.1.58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Reid BN, LE M, McCord WP, Iverson JB, Georges A, Bergmann T, Amato G, Desalle R, Naro-Maciel E. Comparing and combining distance-based and character-based approaches for barcoding turtles. Mol Ecol Resour 2011; 11:956-67. [PMID: 21635698 DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2011.03032.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Molecular barcoding can serve as a powerful tool in wildlife forensics and may prove to be a vital aid in conserving organisms that are threatened by illegal wildlife trade, such as turtles (Order Testudines). We produced cytochrome oxidase subunit one (COI) sequences (650 bp) for 174 turtle species and combined these with publicly available sequences for 50 species to produce a data set representative of the breadth of the order. Variability within the barcode region was assessed, and the utility of both distance-based and character-based methods for species identification was evaluated. For species in which genetic material from more than one individual was available (n = 69), intraspecific divergences were 1.3% on average, although divergences greater than the customary 2% barcode threshold occurred within 15 species. High intraspecific divergences could indicate species with a high degree of internal genetic structure or possibly even cryptic species, although introgression is also probable in some of these taxa. Divergences between species of the same genus were 6.4% on average; however, 49 species were <2% divergent from congeners. Low levels of interspecific divergence could be caused by recent evolutionary radiations coupled with the low rates of mtDNA evolution previously observed in turtles. Complementing distance-based barcoding with character-based methods for identifying diagnostic sets of nucleotides provided better resolution in several cases where distance-based methods failed to distinguish species. An online identification engine was created to provide character-based identifications. This study constitutes the first comprehensive barcoding effort for this seriously threatened order.
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Affiliation(s)
- B N Reid
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
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Iverson JB. Reproduction in the Red-Cheeked Mud Turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides cruentatum) in Southeastern Mexico and Belize, with Comparisons Across the Species Range. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2010. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-0827.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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41
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Buhlmann KA, Akre TSB, Iverson JB, Karapatakis D, Mittermeier RA, Georges A, Rhodin AGJ, van Dijk PP, Gibbons JW. A Global Analysis of Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Distributions with Identification of Priority Conservation Areas. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 2009. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-0774.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Ruane S, Dinkelacker SA, Iverson JB. Demographic and Reproductive Traits of Blanding's Turtles, Emydoidea blandingii, at the Western Edge of the Species' Range. COPEIA 2008. [DOI: 10.1643/ce-07-108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Le M, McCord WP, Iverson JB. On the paraphyly of the genus Kachuga (Testudines: Geoemydidae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2007; 45:398-404. [PMID: 17643318 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2007.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2006] [Revised: 05/01/2007] [Accepted: 05/02/2007] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Minh Le
- Department of Herpetology, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, and Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA.
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Abstract
Changes in sex ratio of a population over time can indicate possible conservation concerns. Using population estimates for males and females, we examined changes in the sex ratio of two populations of the endangered Allen’s Cay Rock Iguana ( Cyclura cychlura inornata Barbour and Noble, 1916) in the Bahamas over nearly 25 years. The sex ratios of both populations changed from strongly male-biased early in the study to nearly 1:1 in recent years. We hypothesize that this shift has occurred because of the recovery of these populations from intense harvesting (particularly of females) over the previous 100 years and, more recently, because of the removal of large males from the islands either by poachers or by tourists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey R. Smith
- Department of Biology, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023, USA
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
| | - John B. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023, USA
- Department of Biology, Earlham College, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
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Dinkelacker SA, Costanzo JP, Iverson JB, Lee RE. Survival and Physiological Responses of Hatchling Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) to Submergence in Normoxic and Hypoxic Water under Simulated Winter Conditions. Physiol Biochem Zool 2005; 78:356-63. [PMID: 15887082 DOI: 10.1086/430221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/09/2004] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Overwintering habits of hatchling Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) are unknown. To determine whether these turtles are able to survive winter in aquatic habitats, we submerged hatchlings in normoxic (155 mmHg Po2) and hypoxic (6 mmHg Po2) water at 4 degrees C, recording survival times and measuring changes in key physiological variables. For comparison, we simultaneously studied hatchling softshell (Apalone spinifera) and snapping (Chelydra serpentina) turtles, which are known to overwinter in aquatic habitats. In normoxic water, C. serpentina and A. spinifera survived to the termination of the experiment (76 and 77 d, respectively). Approximately one-third of the E. blandingii died during 75 d of normoxic submergence, but the cause of mortality was unclear. In hypoxic water, average survival times were 6 d for A. spinifera, 13 d for E. blandingii, and 19 d for C. serpentina. Mortality during hypoxic submergence was probably caused by metabolic acidosis, which resulted from accumulated lactate. Unlike the case with adult turtles, our hatchlings did not increase plasma calcium and magnesium, nor did they sequester lactate within the shell. Our results suggest that hatchling E. blandingii are not particularly well suited to hibernation in hypoxic aquatic habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen A Dinkelacker
- Laboratory for Ecophysiological Cryobiology, Department of Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
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Spinks PQ, Shaffer HB, Iverson JB, McCord WP. Phylogenetic hypotheses for the turtle family Geoemydidae. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2004; 32:164-82. [PMID: 15186805 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2003.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2003] [Revised: 12/17/2003] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The turtle family Geoemydidae represents the largest, most diverse, and most poorly understood family of turtles. Little is known about this group, including intrafamilial systematics. The only complete phylogenetic hypothesis for this family positions geoemydids as paraphyletic with respect to tortoises, but this arrangement has not been accepted by many workers. We compiled a 79-taxon mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data set to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships for 65 species and subspecies representing all 23 genera of the Geoemydidae. Maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum-likelihood (ML) analyses and Bayesian analysis produced similar, well-resolved trees. Our analyses identified three main clades comprising the tortoises (Testudinidae), the old-world Geoemydidae, and the South American geoemydid genus Rhinoclemmys. Within Geoemydidae, many nodes were strongly supported, particularly based on Bayesian posterior probabilities of the combined three-gene dataset. We found that adding data for a subset of taxa improved resolution of some deeper nodes in the tree. Several strongly supported groupings within the Geoemydidae demonstrate non-monophyly of some genera and possible interspecific hybrids, and we recommend several taxonomic revisions based on available evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Q Spinks
- Section of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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Dinkelacker SA, Costanzo JP, Iverson JB, Lee, Jr. RE. Cold-hardiness and dehydration resistance of hatchling Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii): implications for overwintering in a terrestrial habitat. CAN J ZOOL 2004. [DOI: 10.1139/z04-027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The overwintering habits of hatchling Blanding's turtles, Emydoidea blandingii (Holbrook, 1838), are not well understood. To ascertain whether these turtles are well suited to hibernation on land, we examined susceptibility to dehydration, supercooling capacity, resistance to inoculative freezing, capacity for freeze tolerance, and physiological responses to somatic freezing in laboratory-reared, hatchling E. blandingii. Rates of evaporative water loss (mean ± SE = 4.1 ± 0.2 mg·g–1·d–1) were intermediate to rates previously reported for the hatchlings of species known to hibernate on land and in water. Supercooled hatchlings recovered from a 1-h exposure to –8 °C or a 7-d exposure to –4 °C. Additional turtles supercooled to –14.3 ± 1.2 °C (mean ± SE) before spontaneously freezing. However, when immersed in frozen soil, their capacity to supercool was severely limited by an inability to resist inoculative freezing following contact with external ice and ice nuclei. Therefore, hatchlings likely do not use supercooling as a winter survival strategy. Hatchlings tolerated a 72-h period of somatic freezing to –3.5 °C and responded to somatic freezing by increasing plasma concentrations of the putative cryoprotectants lactate and glucose. Our results suggest that hatchling E. blandingii could overwinter in moist, terrestrial hibernacula where risk of dehydration is reduced and freeze tolerance is promoted.
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Iverson JB, Hines KN, Valiulis JM. THE NESTING ECOLOGY OF THE ALLEN CAYS ROCK IGUANA, CYCLURA CYCHLURA INORNATA IN THE BAHAMAS. Herpetological Monographs 2004. [DOI: 10.1655/0733-1347(2004)018[0001:tneota]2.0.co;2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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