Ana Golubović, Sara Arsenijević, Marko Maričić, Vukašin Bjelica
{"title":"Climbing ability of European pond turtles sharply declines on slopes steeper than 36°: Implications for shoreline management","authors":"Ana Golubović, Sara Arsenijević, Marko Maričić, Vukašin Bjelica","doi":"10.1016/j.ecoleng.2024.107346","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Inadequate shoreline management might be detrimental to semiaquatic ground-dwelling taxa that utilize shorelines for migrations, basking and nesting sites. Although turtles are often associated with shorelines, limited knowledge of their climbing abilities hinders adequate management of these habitats. In this study we tested the climbing abilities of adult <em>Emys orbicularis</em> (<em>N</em> = 60) to explore the effect which artificial shorelines could have on their dispersal and habitat use. Over 90% of turtles were able to successfully climb a 36° slope. At steeper inclinations, female climbing success drastically dropped. Furthermore, climbing steeper inclinations is more time and energy consuming and might limit habitat use. Our results suggest that body size is the limiting factor of turtle climbing ability, regardless of sex. However, larger and less agile female turtles are especially susceptible to steep shorelines, since their fitness directly depends on their ability to reach favourable nesting sites. Based on our results, we suggest that slopes of artificial shorelines in European pond turtle habitats should not exceed 36° angles. Additionally, the shoreline surface should be textured (e.g. with grooves). Further studies should focus on locomotor abilities of other semiaquatic, ground-dwelling taxa (e.g. newts, toads, turtles), particularly as they pertain to obstacles around their reproductive centres.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11490,"journal":{"name":"Ecological Engineering","volume":"207 ","pages":"Article 107346"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ecological Engineering","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S092585742400171X","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Inadequate shoreline management might be detrimental to semiaquatic ground-dwelling taxa that utilize shorelines for migrations, basking and nesting sites. Although turtles are often associated with shorelines, limited knowledge of their climbing abilities hinders adequate management of these habitats. In this study we tested the climbing abilities of adult Emys orbicularis (N = 60) to explore the effect which artificial shorelines could have on their dispersal and habitat use. Over 90% of turtles were able to successfully climb a 36° slope. At steeper inclinations, female climbing success drastically dropped. Furthermore, climbing steeper inclinations is more time and energy consuming and might limit habitat use. Our results suggest that body size is the limiting factor of turtle climbing ability, regardless of sex. However, larger and less agile female turtles are especially susceptible to steep shorelines, since their fitness directly depends on their ability to reach favourable nesting sites. Based on our results, we suggest that slopes of artificial shorelines in European pond turtle habitats should not exceed 36° angles. Additionally, the shoreline surface should be textured (e.g. with grooves). Further studies should focus on locomotor abilities of other semiaquatic, ground-dwelling taxa (e.g. newts, toads, turtles), particularly as they pertain to obstacles around their reproductive centres.
期刊介绍:
Ecological engineering has been defined as the design of ecosystems for the mutual benefit of humans and nature. The journal is meant for ecologists who, because of their research interests or occupation, are involved in designing, monitoring, or restoring ecosystems, and can serve as a bridge between ecologists and engineers.
Specific topics covered in the journal include: habitat reconstruction; ecotechnology; synthetic ecology; bioengineering; restoration ecology; ecology conservation; ecosystem rehabilitation; stream and river restoration; reclamation ecology; non-renewable resource conservation. Descriptions of specific applications of ecological engineering are acceptable only when situated within context of adding novelty to current research and emphasizing ecosystem restoration. We do not accept purely descriptive reports on ecosystem structures (such as vegetation surveys), purely physical assessment of materials that can be used for ecological restoration, small-model studies carried out in the laboratory or greenhouse with artificial (waste)water or crop studies, or case studies on conventional wastewater treatment and eutrophication that do not offer an ecosystem restoration approach within the paper.