Altered spring phenology of North American freshwater turtles and the importance of representative populations

Authors

Fredric J. Janzen, Iowa State University
Luke A. Hoekstra, Iowa State UniversityFollow
Ronald J. Brooks, University of Guelph
David M. Carroll, Warner, New Hampshire
J Whitfield Gibbons, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Judith L. Greene, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
John B. Iverson, Earlham College
Jacqueline D. Litzgus, Laurentian University
Edwin D. Michael, West Virginia University
Steven G. Parren, Hinesburg, Vermont
Willem M. Roosenburg, Ohio University
Gabriel F. Strain, GAI Consultants
John K. Tucker, Jerry F. Costello National Great Rivers Research and Education Center Confluence Field Station
Gordon R. Ultsch, University of Florida

Author ORCID Identifier

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6122-8100

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Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2018

College/Unit

Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

Department/Program/Center

Division of Forestry and Natural Resources

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 oc- curs 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 evi- dence 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.

Digital Commons Citation

Janzen, Fredric J.; Hoekstra, Luke A.; Brooks, Ronald J.; Carroll, David M.; Gibbons, J Whitfield; Greene, Judith L.; Iverson, John B.; Litzgus, Jacqueline D.; Michael, Edwin D.; Parren, Steven G.; Roosenburg, Willem M.; Strain, Gabriel F.; Tucker, John K.; and Ultsch, Gordon R., "Altered spring phenology of North American freshwater turtles and the importance of representative populations" (2018). Faculty & Staff Scholarship. 1672.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/faculty_publications/1672

Source Citation

Janzen FJ, Hoekstra LA, Brooks RJ, et al. Altered spring phenology of North American freshwater turtles and the importance of representative populations. Ecol Evol. 2018;8:5815–5827. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4120

Comments

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.