10.5061/DRYAD.0CFXPNW69
Streeting, Louise
0000-0002-1663-0010
University of New England
Bower, Deborah
University of New England
Dillon, Martin
University of New England
Spark, Phil
Northwest Ecological Services
Gough, Michael
,
Skidmore, Adam
Taronga Conservation Society Australia
McDonald, Paul
University of New England
Delaney, Hannah
University of New England
Burns, Adrienne
University of New England
Watson, Sandy
University of New England
Dissanayake, Duminda
University of Canberra
Georges, Arthur
University of Canberra
McKnight, Donald
La Trobe University
Data from: Optimising the hatching success of artificially incubated eggs
for use in a conservation program for the western saw-shelled turtle
(Myuchelys bellii)
Dryad
dataset
2022
freshwater turtle
Conservation
Endangered species
Bell’s turtle
population reinforcement
population augmentation
Artificial incubation
FOS: Natural sciences
head-starting
Wildlife Management
NSW Office of Environment & Heritage
https://ror.org/005bs2a16
Laboratory of Applied Zoology and Ecosystem Restoration*
2022-10-30T00:00:00Z
2022-10-30T00:00:00Z
en
81892 bytes
2
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Artificial incubation of eggs and the release of hatchlings into the wild
is a common conservation intervention designed to augment threatened
turtle populations. We investigate a range of incubation temperatures to
establish an optimal temperature for maximum hatching success of western
saw-shelled turtle (Myuchelys bellii) eggs. We report on the influence of
incubation temperature on incubation duration and hatching success and
describe two experimental incubation methods which, for the same
incubation temperature, resulted in 77% and 97% hatching success,
respectively. Eggs were incubated at constant temperatures (27°C, 28°C and
29°C) to determine the influence of temperature on incubation period,
hatchling morphology and external residual yolk. Incubation duration was
negatively correlated with incubation temperature. We report on the
morphology of eggs and hatchlings and show that their dimensions are
positively correlated with maternal adult size and mass. A constant
incubation temperature of 27°C produced the highest hatching success and
smallest external residual yolk on hatching and is therefore recommended
for incubation of eggs for population reinforcement programs. Our study is
the first to optimise artificial incubation procedures for M. bellii and
will be a valuable resource for M. bellii and other threatened freshwater
turtle conservation initiatives.
Methods used for collection/generation of data are described in the
publication: Streeting LM, Bower DS, Dillon ML, Spark P, Gough M, Skidmore
A, McDonald PG, Delaney H, Burns A, Watson S, Dissanayake DSB, Georges A
and McKnight DT (2022). Optimising the hatching success of artificially
incubated eggs for use in a conservation program for the western
saw-shelled turtle (Myuchelys bellii). Australian Journal of Zoology.