How far away from water? Terrestrial dispersal and nesting sites of the freshwater turtle Phrynops hilarii in the floodplain of the Paraná River (Argentina

M.S. LÓPEZ, SIONE W, LEYNAUD G.C, PRIETO Y.A, A. S. MANZANO

ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCE

ZOOLOGICAL SOC JAPAN

Año: 2013 vol. 30 p. 1063 - 1069

0289-0003

Terrestrial environments surrounding aquatic 31 resources areimportant and intensively used by semi-aquatic species. In the present workterrestrial dispersal and nesting sites of the freshwater turtle Phrynops hilariiwere analyzed in the floodplain of the Paraná River, using field data andvariables obtained from remote sensing. A total of 112 turtles and 44 nestswere recorded during road sampling (786 km) for one year. Individuals wereat a mean distance of 171.45 m from water, with a negative correlationbetween number of turtles and distance from water bodies. No significantdifferences in distance of turtles from water were observed among seasons.Phrynops hilarii nested at a mean distance of 136.51 m from water, showing anegative correlation between number of nests and distance from water bodies.Mean elevation of nests relative to maximum level of water body nearest eachrecord was 1.13 m. The correlation between number of nests and elevation ofthe nearest water body was positive and significant. The landscapesurrounding wetlands is essential for P. hilarii to complete the life cycle andthe habitat selected was proportionally different from that available, with ahigher proportion of wetlands, grasslands and forests.