BEC-5 Basking Rate Acclimation of Easter Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta picta)
Start Date
12-4-2024 9:30 AM
End Date
12-4-2024 11:30 AM
Location
University Readiness Center Greatroom
Document Type
Poster
Abstract
The Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta) is a common freshwater basking turtle found throughout North America. Basking, a behavior where turtles exit the water for a variety of physiological reasons including thermoregulation, is a crucial aspect of their daily routine. Basking behavior is influenced by various environmental factors, including predation, air and water temperatures, solar radiation, and habitat characteristics.
When any species is placed into an artificial environment for study, a period of acclimation is needed. No published data supported the use of a standardized acclimation period for laboratory studies of Eastern Painted turtles. The purpose of our study was to quantify the time required for wild-caught Eastern Painted Turtles to acclimate in a novel laboratory environment. We defined acclimation as statistically consistent day-to-day basking duration and basking frequency.
Thirty-two Eastern Painted Turtles were placed into an environmental chamber for 10 days comprising 66 trials with 792 hours of video. Turtles were recorded and tracked using EthoVision XT 16 to quantify the frequency and duration of diurnal basking each day. Breakpoint analyses were used to identify behavioral shifts in basking. Data was pooled into pre- and post-acclimation groups. Basking duration became consistent by day 3 (p
Our results suggest that laboratory studies should ensure turtles are fully acclimated to a novel environment for 6 days prior to data collection. Knowing the minimum acclimation time required should allow more efficient data collection. By providing a standard acclimation time, turtle exposure to experimental conditions can be minimized increasing experimental “throughput” and reducing animal stress.
Keywords
Easter Painted Turtle, Basking Rate, Acclimation
BEC-5 Basking Rate Acclimation of Easter Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta picta)
University Readiness Center Greatroom
The Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta) is a common freshwater basking turtle found throughout North America. Basking, a behavior where turtles exit the water for a variety of physiological reasons including thermoregulation, is a crucial aspect of their daily routine. Basking behavior is influenced by various environmental factors, including predation, air and water temperatures, solar radiation, and habitat characteristics.
When any species is placed into an artificial environment for study, a period of acclimation is needed. No published data supported the use of a standardized acclimation period for laboratory studies of Eastern Painted turtles. The purpose of our study was to quantify the time required for wild-caught Eastern Painted Turtles to acclimate in a novel laboratory environment. We defined acclimation as statistically consistent day-to-day basking duration and basking frequency.
Thirty-two Eastern Painted Turtles were placed into an environmental chamber for 10 days comprising 66 trials with 792 hours of video. Turtles were recorded and tracked using EthoVision XT 16 to quantify the frequency and duration of diurnal basking each day. Breakpoint analyses were used to identify behavioral shifts in basking. Data was pooled into pre- and post-acclimation groups. Basking duration became consistent by day 3 (p
Our results suggest that laboratory studies should ensure turtles are fully acclimated to a novel environment for 6 days prior to data collection. Knowing the minimum acclimation time required should allow more efficient data collection. By providing a standard acclimation time, turtle exposure to experimental conditions can be minimized increasing experimental “throughput” and reducing animal stress.