Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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McKnight, D. T., Jones, A. C., & Ligon, D. B. , The omnivorous diet of the western chicken turtle (deirochelys reticularia miaria) - abstract. Unpublished paper presented at Program and Abstracts of the Tenth Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles.
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich (06 Jul 2014 16:11:53 UTC) |
| Resource type: Conference Paper BibTeX citation key: McKnight2013 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Ernährung - nutrition, Habitat - habitat, Nordamerika - North America, Schildkröten - turtles + tortoises, Testudinidae, Testudo horsfieldii Creators: Jones, Ligon, McKnight Collection: Program and Abstracts of the Tenth Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles |
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| Abstract |
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Eastern chicken turtles (Deirochelys reticularia reticularia) are known to be strict carnivores, but no previous studies have examined the diet of the western subspecies (D. r. miaria). To investigate this important aspect of this subspecies's ecology, we collected 25 fecal samples from 14 D. r. miaria in southeastern Oklahoma. Red Swamp Crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) were found in 96% of samples and appear to be the dominant food source for D. r. miaria at this site. Most of the consumed crawfish were 26–32 mm in carapace length, and there was a correlation between turtle size and crawfish size. Insects representing four orders (predominantly Hemiptera and Coloptera) were found in 48% of samples, and plant matter was found in 96% of samples. Vegetative matter was found in 92% of samples, roots were found in 56% of samples, and seeds were found in 48% of samples. While most of the plant matter was unidentifiable, the Common Rush (mostly seeds; Juncus effusus), Broadleaf Cattail (Typha latifolia), and Giant Cutgrass (seeds; Zizaniopsis miliacea) were identified in 28, 28, and 24% of samples respectively. While it is clear that invertebrates comprise the majority of the diet of D. r. miaria, it is equally clear that, unlike its eastern counterpart, D. r. miaria is omnivorous.
Added by: Sarina Wunderlich |