LE3 .A278 2014

2014

Mockford, Steve
Lefebvre, Jose

Acadia University

Bachelor of Science

Honours

Biology

Biology

Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) are an endangered species of turtle in Nova Scotia. One of the approaches to conservation and management in this population has been headstarting. Headstarting is the process of raising neonatal turtles in captivity to further growth, whether from incubated eggs, or wild individuals. This process is both time consuming and expensive. This experiment tests whether there is a benefit from ex situ (away from natural environment) incubation alone, without raising the hatchlings in captivity. Eggs were collected from 12 randomly selected nests and evenly distributed between incubators at 29.5°C and 27.5°C. An additional 14 nests were protected with wire mesh covered wooden frames in the wild. After hatching or emerging from the nest, hatchlings were measured and weighed. A self-righting test and predator response test were performed. Half of the incubated hatchlings were released immediately after testing, and half were captive-reared for approximately one month, then re-measured and tested before being released. Ex situ incubated hatchlings were significantly slower in both the self-righting and predator response tests than in situ (in natural environment) incubated and captive-reared hatchlings. These results suggest that there is no fitness benefit to ex situ incubation alone.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:1087