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| Format: | Artículo científico |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
2014
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| Online Access: | https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=319031647006 |
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Table of Contents:
- REPRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION OF THE MAGDALENA RIVER TURTLE (Podocnemis lewyana) IN THE CLARO COCORNÁ SUR RIVER, COLOMBIA Claudia P. Ceballos Isabel Romero Catalina Gómez-Saldarriaga Karla Miranda Biología Growth nesting incubation temperatures The Magdalena River Turtle, Podocnemis lewyana, is an endangered and endemic turtle from Colombia. Among the most important information needed to conserve endangered species is to identify, monitor, and protect the sites used by the species to reproduce and grow. In this study we report, for the first time, the reproductive output and the nesting beaches of P. lewyana in the Claro Cocorná Sur River, a tributary of the Magdalena River drainage. We systematically examined a river transect of 8 km with 14 sandy beaches during two nesting seasons in one year. We recorded a yearly production of 47 clutches, 957 eggs, and two preferred nesting beaches: Alto Bonito with 51 %, and Bélgica with 28.3 % of this reproductive output. AAFUVER, a community-based organization, has led a headstarting program since 2010 to decrease in-situ egg mortality due to predation on nesting beaches. AAFUVER collects and incubates the eggs ex-situ, raises the hatchlings for one to five months and then releases them into the same river. To understand potential effects of such egg manipulation, we monitored and compared in-situ and ex-situ incubation temperatures. We found ex- situ temperatures below the pivotal temperature known for P. lewyana and below the temperatures in nesting beaches. Finally, we monitored hatchlings growth under AAFUVER captive conditions, and found that hatchlings duplicated their body mass during the first three months of age. Egg weight was strongly associated to body weight at hatching, however this association is lost by the third month of age. We strongly encourage supporting this community-based conservation program, and the protection of the Claro Cocorná Sur River as an important nesting and growth habitat for the conservation of P. lewyana. 2014 artículo científico 0120-548X https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=319031647006 en http://www.redalyc.org/revista.oa?id=3190 Acta Biológica Colombiana application/pdf Universidad Nacional de Colombia Acta Biológica Colombiana (Colombia) Num.3 Vol.19