Intraspecific & Musk Turtles

1. Intraspecific & Musk Turtles Maheen Aziz Spring ’10 EVPP Dr. Dann

2. Agenda • Review • Action Reflecting Intraspecific Competition • Concepts Applied (Plant & Animals) • Background • Musk Turtles • Relevance to Potomac River Valley (PRV) • Mason Neck • Trivia • Re-cap

3. Review • Intraspecific Interactions: are interactions among organisms of the same species. • communicate to each other to stay in touch with others in the group • Many animals use vocal communication of some sort • Plants and animals also use various chemical signals to communicate with each other.

4. Actions Reflecting Intraspecific Competition • Emigration - competition may cause individuals to leave in search of unutilized resources • Territoriality - in some species, obtaining and defending a territory may be the prerequisite for reproduction • Dominance hierarchies - through behavioral interactions, individuals form a "pecking order“

5. Concept Applied to Animals

6. Concept Applied to Plants

7. Family: Kinsternidae Genus: Sternotherus Four species First discovered in 1802, S.C. Habitat Found in eastern North America Freshwater Slow moving waters Spend most of their time in water (come on land for basking) Background

8. Background Cont. • Diet • Carnivores but can sometimes eat plants • Snails, clams ,aquatic insects, arachnids, crayfish, and dead fish • Resemble snapping turtles • characterized by • small lower shell • small, fleshy barbells on the chin • upper shell is oval • dull in color • Secrete Weapon • “musky” odor • Endangered? • Yes! • Protected under the US Endangered Species Act of 1973 (amended) • threatened by habitat degradation and fragmentation, and remaining populations are further threatened by disease, pollution and siltation of its habitat, and over-collection from the wild for the pet trade terrybrothers geocities

9. Musk Turtles • Common Musk Turtles • Sternotherus odoratus • Stripe-neck Turtles • Sternotherus minor peltifer • Razor-backed Musk turtle • Sternotherus carinatus • Flattened Musk Turtle • Sternotherus depressus • Loggerhead Musk Turtle • Sternotherus minor Jamesriverpark Animalpicturesarchive herpcenter Jamesriverpark Jamesriverpark herpcenter

10. Musk Turtles & Intraspecifc • Release of Chemical • Scent recognized by males • Assist intraspecific communication • sexual behavior – mating season only • Territoriality – no evidence of using scent • Home-site – no evidence of using scent • Stress – when frightened or feel endangered, release strong scent arkive

11. Musk Turtles & Intraspecific • Male scent has no effect on other males • can’t distinguish b/w own odor • No response • Male turtles made no significant choice for self scent over male scent or clean water • Can’t distinguish the odor of self • Not attracted to self • Chose female scent over that of other males, self scent, or clean water • during the breeding season chemical cues produced contribute to intraspecific communication associated with sexual behavior

12. Relevance to the Potomac River Valley (PRV) • Live along the PRV • Effects • Erosion • Chemicals • Sewage • Mortality increase

13. animalpicturesarchive animalpicturesarchive Mason Neck • Musk turtle is found frequently at the bottom of freshwater • Common mortality… run over by a car

14. Trivia • Which Musk turtle grows to the largest length? • Razor-backed (6”) • What is the average size of Musk turtles, except the Razor-backed? • 3-5” • What do they release when under stress? • pungent yellowish fluid • Where do Musk turtles spend most of their time? • Underwater (bottom)

15. Save the PRV!!! Re-cap • Intraspecific • Plants & Animals • Musk Turtles • PRV herpcenter

16. Floor open to questions

17. References • musk turtle. (2010). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 03, 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/399342/musk-turtle access date: February 23, 2010 • Threatened and Endangered Species of Alabama: A Guide to Assist With Forestry Activities (September, 2007)http://www.pfmt.org/wildlife/endangered/flattened_musk.htm access date: February 24, 2010 • Outdoor Alabama (September, 2007)http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/Reptiles/Turtles/fmt.cfm access date: February 23, 2010 • Ernst, C.H., Altenburg, R.G.M. and Barbour, R.W. (1997) Turtles of the World. ETI Information Systems Ltd, Netherlands. Available at: http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/BIS/turtles.php access date: February 23, 2010 • Dodd Jr, C.K., Enge, K.M. and Stuart, J.N. (1988) Aspects of the biology of the flattened musk turtle (Sternotherus depressus) in northern Alabama. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences, 34(1): 1 - 64. • Mitchell, J. C. 1988. Population ecology and life histories of the freshwater turtles Chrysemys picta and Sternotherus odoratus in an urban lake. Herpetol. Monogr 2:40–61. • Morreale, S. J., J. W. Gibbons, and J. D. Congdon. 1984. Significance of activity and movement in the yellow-bellied slider turtle (Pseudemys scripta). Can. J. of Zool 62:1038–1042. • Munoz, A. 2004. Chemo-orientation using conspecific chemical cues in the stripe-necked terrapin (Mauremys leprosa). J. Chem. Ecol 30:519–530. • Smar, C. M. and R. M. Chambers. 2005. Homing behavior of musk turtles in a Virginia lake. Southeastern Nat 4:527–532. • Williams, J. E. 1952. Homing behavior of the painted turtle and musk turtle in a lake. Copeia,2:76–82. • C. H. Lewis, S. F. Molloy, R. M. Chambers, and J. Davenport. (2007) Response of Common Musk Turtles (Sternotherus Odoratus) to Intraspecific Chemical Cues. Journal of Herpetology41:3, 349-353online publication date: 1-Sep-2007 • K. M. Andres, R. M. Chambers.The American Midland Naturalist Jul 2006 : Vol. 156, Issue 1, pg(s) 45-51 doi: 10.1674/0003-0031(2006)156[45:ATOPBC]2.0.CO;2