Hou Xiaochen, Shi Haitao
School of Life Science, Tonghua Normal University, Tonghua 134001, China.
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jan 17;15(2):255. doi: 10.3390/ani15020255.
Freshwater turtle species preservation relies on understanding their population dynamics and geographical distribution. Amur softshell turtles (ASTs []) are poorly protected due to insufficient awareness and the population in Northeastern China has experienced a steep decline compared to previous years. This study aims to investigate the population density and structure of ASTs in the Jewellery Island area of the Ussuri River in Northeast China using continuous-time capture-recapture methods in closed populations. A three-month mark-recapture study was conducted in 2022, resulting in 35 juvenile captures, including 12 recaptures from 23 marked individuals. The estimated population size in the study area was 40.79 ± 9.75 (95% confidence interval, 95% CI = 27-65), translating to 0.663 ± 0.158 turtles/ha (95% CI = 0.44-1.06 individuals/ha). Approximately 35.4-85.2% of the estimated population was marked. Additionally, we explored the influence of environmental variables on turtle distribution by dividing the surveyed sites into seven sections based on their natural characteristics. The ASTs distribution inferred from trapping successes was considerably different among sections, with most turtles (91%) captured at the vegetated shoreline and in water channel 2. This research offers essential baseline data to support future assessments of ASTs population on a larger scale and to inform the development of conservation strategies.
淡水龟种的保护依赖于了解它们的种群动态和地理分布。由于认识不足，东北鳖受到的保护很差，与前些年相比，中国东北地区的东北鳖种群数量急剧下降。本研究旨在利用封闭种群中的连续时间捕获-再捕获方法，调查中国东北乌苏里江珠宝岛地区东北鳖的种群密度和结构。2022年进行了为期三个月的标记-再捕获研究，共捕获35只幼鳖，其中23只标记个体中有12只被再次捕获。研究区域的估计种群数量为40.79±9.75（95%置信区间，95%CI=27-65），相当于0.663±0.158只/公顷（95%CI=0.44-1.06只/公顷）。估计种群中约35.4%-85.2%被标记。此外，我们根据调查地点的自然特征将其分为七个区域，探讨了环境变量对乌龟分布的影响。根据诱捕成功率推断，东北鳖在各区域的分布差异很大，大多数乌龟（91%）在植被丰富的海岸线和2号水道被捕获。本研究提供了重要的基线数据，以支持未来更大规模的东北鳖种群评估，并为保护策略的制定提供参考。
