Ye Zihao, Bu Rongping, Shi Hai-Tao
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands, College of Life Sciences Hainan Normal University Haikou China.
College of Marine Science, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Beibu Gulf Biodiversity Conservation Beibu Gulf University Qinzhou Guangxi China.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Jun 30;15(7):e71630. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71630. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Research on nest site selection and nesting behavior is essential for species conservation. Research on the reproductive ecology of Reeves' turtles is relatively scarce. Therefore, from April to September 2022, we conducted a study in Qichun County, China, on the field nest site selection of 11 female Reeves' turtles using tracking line boxes. We also investigated the nesting behavior of 20 female turtles using high-definition surveillance cameras placed within an enclosure and recorded the clutch size. The results showed that slope, canopy cover, and distance from the water source significantly influenced nest site selection. The nesting behavior was divided into five stages: landing, excavation, egg laying, covering, and return, with a nesting season from early May to the end of July and nesting most occurring during dusk and dawn. The average clutch size was 7.33 ± 0.33 eggs. Reproduction was affected by high nest predation rates and extreme weather conditions. This study provides valuable information on this endangered species and a foundation for the development of conservation plans.
对巢穴选址和筑巢行为的研究对于物种保护至关重要。关于黄缘闭壳龟繁殖生态学的研究相对较少。因此，在2022年4月至9月期间，我们在中国蕲春县开展了一项研究，使用追踪线箱对11只雌性黄缘闭壳龟的野外巢穴选址进行了研究。我们还使用放置在围栏内的高清监控摄像头对20只雌性龟的筑巢行为进行了调查，并记录了窝卵数。结果表明，坡度、树冠覆盖率和与水源的距离对巢穴选址有显著影响。筑巢行为分为五个阶段：着陆、挖掘、产卵、覆盖和返回，筑巢季节从5月初至7月底，筑巢大多发生在黄昏和黎明时分。平均窝卵数为7.33±0.33枚。繁殖受到高巢穴捕食率和极端天气条件的影响。本研究为这种濒危物种提供了有价值的信息，并为制定保护计划奠定了基础。
