Hunter Christina, Bower Deborah S, Peters Richard A, Spencer Ricky-John, Pizzatto Ligia, Van Dyke James U
Department of Ecological, Plant & Animal Sciences Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems, School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Albury-Wodonga Campus West Wodonga Victoria Australia.
School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Sep 8;15(9):e72121. doi: 10.1002/ece3.72121. eCollection 2025 Sep.
Freshwater turtles in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), Australia, have declined since the 1970s. Intense nest predation by introduced foxes likely contributes to these declines, disrupting juvenile recruitment needed to sustain populations. Traditional lethal control methods, such as baiting and shooting, have proven inadequate, highlighting the need for innovative conservation strategies. We tested three nest protection methods-fenced nesting beaches, artificial floating islands (artificial nesting habitat), and individual mesh covers-for reducing fox predation. Using artificial turtle nests across protected and unprotected plots, we monitored nest predation with remote cameras and confirmed nest status through excavation. On average, nest predation was lowest on artificial islands (17%), followed by fences (37%) and mesh (40%). All protection methods significantly reduced depredation compared to unprotected controls (85% destroyed). Unprotected nests were almost exclusively depredated by foxes, while protected nests saw more predation from native animals. Native predator species did not differ among protection treatments. Our findings underscore the potential for artificial floating islands as a valuable conservation tool. Further research into optimizing nest protection and understanding ecological impacts is critical for improving recruitment and reversing declines of freshwater turtle species.
自20世纪70年代以来，澳大利亚墨累-达令盆地（MDB）的淡水龟数量一直在减少。外来狐狸的强烈巢捕食行为可能是导致这些数量下降的原因，它扰乱了维持种群所需的幼龟补充。传统的致死控制方法，如诱饵诱捕和射杀，已被证明是不够的，这凸显了创新保护策略的必要性。我们测试了三种巢保护方法——围栏筑巢海滩、人工浮岛（人工筑巢栖息地）和个体网罩——以减少狐狸的捕食。我们在受保护和未受保护的地块上使用人工龟巢，通过远程摄像头监测巢捕食情况，并通过挖掘确认巢的状态。平均而言，人工岛上的巢捕食率最低（17%），其次是围栏（37%）和网罩（40%）。与未受保护的对照（85%被破坏）相比，所有保护方法都显著降低了捕食率。未受保护的巢几乎完全被狐狸捕食，而受保护的巢则更多地受到本土动物的捕食。本土捕食者物种在不同保护处理之间没有差异。我们的研究结果强调了人工浮岛作为一种有价值的保护工具的潜力。进一步研究优化巢保护和理解生态影响对于改善淡水龟物种的补充和扭转数量下降至关重要。
