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Competitive interactions during basking between native and invasive freshwater turtle species

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Abstract

The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is currently introduced in many Mediterranean countries, where it behaves as an invasive species that competes and displaces native populations of the endangered Spanish terrapin (Mauremys leprosa). However, the nature of competitive interactions is relatively unknown. During basking activity, factors like greater body size or pre-existing behavioral adaptations to an original habitat with higher levels of interspecific competition might confer competitive advantages to introduced T. scripta with respect to native terrapins. We hypothesized that competition for basking places with the introduced T. scripta might negatively affect the efficiency of basking and thermoregulation of the native Spanish terrapin. We experimentally analyzed the basking activity of T. scripta and M. leprosa under occasional and long-term situations of intra- and inter-specific competition. Native M. leprosa subjected to interspecific competition reduced their basking activity, basked for shorter periods than T. scripta, and avoided basking stacked with the exotic turtles. These results suggested the displacement from the basking sites of the native terrapin by the introduced T. scripta. The decreased basking activity of native M. leprosa when competing directly for basking places with introduced sliders may lead native terrapins to a loss in the efficiency of physiological functions related to ineffective thermoregulation, such as digestion or locomotor performance, thus favoring the expansion of the invasive species.

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments, the “Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona y su Hábitat” (GREFA) for providing sliders, and “El Ventorrillo” MNCN Field Station for use of their facilities. Financial support was provided by the MEC project CGL2005-00391/BOS and the MCI project MCI-CGL2008-02119/BOS, and by an “El Ventorrillo” CSIC grant and a MEC-FPU grant to N. P.-C.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Nuria Polo-Cavia, Pilar López & José Martín

  2. Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain

    Nuria Polo-Cavia

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  1. Nuria Polo-Cavia
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  2. Pilar López
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  3. José Martín
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Correspondence to Nuria Polo-Cavia.

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Polo-Cavia, N., López, P. & Martín, J. Competitive interactions during basking between native and invasive freshwater turtle species. Biol Invasions 12, 2141–2152 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-009-9615-0

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