Register      Login
Australian Journal of Zoology Australian Journal of Zoology Society
Evolutionary, molecular and comparative zoology
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Road mortality of the eastern long-necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis) along the Murray River, Australia: an assessment using citizen science

Claudia Santori https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4535-0568 A D , Ricky-John Spencer B , James U. Van Dyke https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3933-111X C and Michael B. Thompson A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.

B School of Science and Health, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, NSW 2753, Australia.

C School of Environmental Sciences, Institute for Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, Albury, NSW 2640, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: claudia.santori@sydney.edu.au

Australian Journal of Zoology 66(1) 41-49 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO17065
Submitted: 6 October 2017  Accepted: 10 August 2018   Published: 10 September 2018

Abstract

Turtles face a variety of threats (e.g. habitat destruction, introduced predators) that are pushing many species towards extinction. Vehicle collisions are one of the main causes of mortality of adult freshwater turtles. To conceptualise the level of threat that roads pose to Australians turtles, we analysed data gathered through the citizen science project TurtleSAT along the Murray River. We recorded 124 occurrences of turtle road mortality, which included all three local species (Chelodina expansa, Chelodina longicollis, and Emydura macquarii). Chelodina longicollis was the most commonly reported species killed on roads. We found that rain and time of year affect the likelihood of C. longicollis being killed on roads: increased turtle mortality is associated with rain events and is highest during the month of November, which coincides with their nesting season. Chelodina longicollis was most likely to be killed on the Hume Highway and roads around major urban centres; therefore, we recommend that governing bodies focus management practices and increase awareness at these locations. The degree of road mortality that we detected in this study requires mitigation, as it may contribute to the decline of C. longicollis along the Murray River.

Additional keywords: conservation, freshwater turtles, MaxEnt, road ecology, roadkill, TurtleSAT, wildlife management.


References

Aresco, M. J. (2005a). The effect of sex-specific terrestrial movements and roads on the sex ratio of freshwater turtles. Biological Conservation 123, 37–44.
The effect of sex-specific terrestrial movements and roads on the sex ratio of freshwater turtles.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Aresco, M. J. (2005b). Mitigation measures to reduce highway mortality of turtles and other herpetofauna at a north Florida lake. Journal of Wildlife Management 69, 549–560.
Mitigation measures to reduce highway mortality of turtles and other herpetofauna at a north Florida lake.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Baxter-Gilbert, J. H., Riley, J. L., Lesbarrères, D., and Litzgus, J. D. (2015). Mitigating reptile road mortality: fence failures compromise ecopassage effectiveness. PLoS One 10, .
Mitigating reptile road mortality: fence failures compromise ecopassage effectiveness.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Beaudry, F., deMaynadier, P., and Hunter, M. (2008). Identifying road mortality threat at multiple spatial scales for semi-aquatic turtles. Biological Conservation 141, 2550–2563.
Identifying road mortality threat at multiple spatial scales for semi-aquatic turtles.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Beaudry, F., Demaynadier, P. G., and Hunter, M. L. (2010). Nesting movements and the use of anthropogenic nesting sites by spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata) and Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii). Herpetological Conservation and Biology 5, 1–8.

Booth, D. (2010). The natural history of nesting in two Australian freshwater turtles. Australian Zoologist 35, 198–203.
The natural history of nesting in two Australian freshwater turtles.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Brooks, R. J., Brown, G. P., and Galbraith, D. A. (1991). Effects of a sudden increase in natural mortality of adults on a population of the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). Canadian Journal of Zoology 69, 1314–1320.
Effects of a sudden increase in natural mortality of adults on a population of the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Brown, J. L., Cameron, A., Yoder, A. D., and Vences, M. (2014). A necessarily complex model to explain the biogeography of the amphibians and reptiles of Madagascar. Nature Communications 5, 5046.
A necessarily complex model to explain the biogeography of the amphibians and reptiles of Madagascar.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Buhlmann, K. A., Akre, T. S. B., Iverson, J. B., Karapatakis, D., Mittermeier, R. A., Georges, A., Rhodin, A. G. J., van Dijk, P. P., and Gibbons, J. W. (2009). A global analysis of tortoise and freshwater turtle distributions with identification of priority conservation areas. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 8, 116–149.
A global analysis of tortoise and freshwater turtle distributions with identification of priority conservation areas.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Bureau of Meteorology (2018). Climate data online. Available at: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/data [accessed 23 May 2017].

Burgin, S., and Renshaw, A. (2008). Epizoochory, algae and the Australian eastern long-necked turtle Chelodina longicollis (Shaw). American Midland Naturalist 160, 61–68.
Epizoochory, algae and the Australian eastern long-necked turtle Chelodina longicollis (Shaw).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Chessman, B. C. (1988). Habitat preferences of freshwater turtles in the Murray Valley, Victoria and New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 15, 485–491.
Habitat preferences of freshwater turtles in the Murray Valley, Victoria and New South Wales.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Chessman, B. C. (2011). Declines in freshwater turtles associated with climatic drying in Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin. Wildlife Research 38, 664–671.
Declines in freshwater turtles associated with climatic drying in Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Clevenger, A. P., Chruszcz, B., and Gunson, K. E. (2003). Spatial patterns and factors influencing small vertebrate fauna road-kill aggregations. Biological Conservation 109, 15–26.
Spatial patterns and factors influencing small vertebrate fauna road-kill aggregations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Congdon, J. D., Dunham, A. E., and van Loben Sels, R. C. (1993). Delayed sexual maturity and demographics of Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii): implications for conservation and management of long-lived organisms. Conservation Biology 7, 826–833.
Delayed sexual maturity and demographics of Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii): implications for conservation and management of long-lived organisms.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Congdon, J. D., Dunham, A. E., and van Loben Sels, R. C. (1994). Demographics of common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina): implications for conservation and management of long-lived organisms. American Zoologist 34, 397–408.
Demographics of common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina): implications for conservation and management of long-lived organisms.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Crump, P. S., Robertson, S. J., and Rommel-Crump, R. E. (2016). High incidence of road-killed freshwater turtles at a lake in east Texas, USA. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 11, 181–187.

Dickinson, J. L., Zuckerberg, B., and Bonter, D. N. (2010). Citizen science as an ecological research tool: challenges and benefits. Annual Review of Ecology Evolution and Systematics 41, 149–172.
Citizen science as an ecological research tool: challenges and benefits.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Dodd, C. K., Barichivich, W. J., and Smith, L. L. (2004). Effectiveness of a barrier wall and culverts in reducing wildlife mortality on a heavily traveled highway in Florida. Biological Conservation 118, 619–631.
Effectiveness of a barrier wall and culverts in reducing wildlife mortality on a heavily traveled highway in Florida.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Dwyer, R. G., Carpenter-Bundhoo, L., Franklin, C. E., and Campbell, H. A. (2016). Using citizen-collected wildlife sightings to predict traffic strike hot spots for threatened species: a case study on the southern cassowary. Journal of Applied Ecology 53, 973–982.
Using citizen-collected wildlife sightings to predict traffic strike hot spots for threatened species: a case study on the southern cassowary.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Elith, J., Graham, C. H., Anderson, R. P., Dudìk, M., Ferrier, S., Guisan, A., Hijmans, R. J., Huettmann, F., Leathwick, J. R., Lehmann, A., Li, J., Lohmann, L. G., Loiselle, B. A., Manion, G., Moritz, C., Nakamura, M., Nakazawa, Y., Mc, C., Overton, M., Townsend, J., Peterson, A., Phillips, S. J., Richardson, K., Scachetti-Pereira, R., Schapire, R. E., Soberòn, J., Williams, S., Wisz, M. S., and Zimmermann, N. E. (2006). Novel methods improve prediction of species’ distributions from occurrence data. Ecography 29, 129–151.
Novel methods improve prediction of species’ distributions from occurrence data.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Elith, J., Phillips, S. J., Hastie, T., Dudík, M., Chee, Y. E., and Yates, C. J. (2011). A statistical explanation of MaxEnt for ecologists. Diversity & Distributions 17, 43–57.
A statistical explanation of MaxEnt for ecologists.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

ESRI (2015). ‘ArcGIS Desktop: Release 10.3.1.’ (Environmental Systems Research Institute: Redlands, CA.)

Forman, R. T. T., and Alexander, L. E. (1998). Roads and their major ecological effects. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 29, 207–231.
Roads and their major ecological effects.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Fourcade, Y., Engler, J. O., Rödder, D., and Secondi, J. (2014). Mapping species distributions with MAXENT using a geographically biased sample of presence data: a performance assessment of methods for correcting sampling bias. PLoS One 9, .
Mapping species distributions with MAXENT using a geographically biased sample of presence data: a performance assessment of methods for correcting sampling bias.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Geldmann, J., Heilmann-Clausen, J., Holm, T. E., Levinsky, I., Markussen, B., Olsen, K., Rahbek, C., and Tøttrup, A. P. (2016). What determines spatial bias in citizen science? Exploring four recording schemes with different proficiency requirements. Biodiversity Research 22, 1139–1149.

Goode, J., and Russell, J. (1968). Incubation of eggs of three species of chelid tortoises, and notes on their embryological development. Australian Journal of Zoology 16, 749–761.
Incubation of eggs of three species of chelid tortoises, and notes on their embryological development.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Gooley, A. C. (2010). Testing the behavioral responses of West Virginia turtles to roads and vehicles. M.Sc. Thesis, Marshall University, Huntington, WV.

Hacklay, M. (2013). Citizen Science and volunteered geographic information: overview and typology of participation. In ‘Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge: Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) in Theory and Practice’. (Eds D. Z. Sui, S. Elwood, and M. Goodchild.) pp. 105–122. (Springer: Netherlands.)

Hamer, A. J., Harrison, L. J., and Stokeld, D. (2016). Road density and wetland context alter population structure of a freshwater turtle. Austral Ecology 41, 53–64.
Road density and wetland context alter population structure of a freshwater turtle.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Havlick, D. (2004). Roadkill. Conservation in Practice 5, 30–33.
Roadkill.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Haxton, T. (2000). Road mortality of snapping turtles, Chelydra serpentina, in central Ontario during their nesting period. Canadian Field Naturalist 114, 106–110.

Heigl, F., Stretz, C. R., Steiner, W., Suppan, F., Bauer, T., Laaha, G., and Zaller, J. G. (2016). Comparing road-kill datasets from hunters and citizen scientists in a landscape context. Remote Sensing 8, 832–843.
Comparing road-kill datasets from hunters and citizen scientists in a landscape context.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Heigl, F., Horvath, K., Laaha, G., and Zalle, J. G. (2017). Amphibian and reptile road-kills on tertiary roads in relation to landscape structure: using a citizen science approach with open-access land cover data. BMC Ecology 17, 24–35.
Amphibian and reptile road-kills on tertiary roads in relation to landscape structure: using a citizen science approach with open-access land cover data.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Ives-Dewey, D., and Lewandowski, J. P. (2012). Spatial patterns of road mortality: assessing turtle barrier conservation strategies. Middle States Geographer 45, 40–47.

Joyce, T. L., and Mahoney, S. P. (2001). Spatial and temporal distributions of moose–vehicle collisions in Newfoundland. Wildlife Society Bulletin 29, 281–291.

Kaye, D. R., Walsh, K. M., and Ross, C. C. (2005). Spotted turtle use of a culvert under relocated Route 44 in Carver, Massachusetts. In ‘Proceedings of the International Conference of Ecology and Transportation, San Diego, CA’. (Eds C. L. Irwin, P. Garrett and K. P. McDermott.) pp. 426–432. (Center for Transportation and the Environment, North Carolina State University: Raleigh, NC.)

Kennett, R., and Georges, A. (1990). Habitat utilisation and its relationship to growth and reproduction of the eastern long-necked turtle Chelodina longicollis (Testudinata: Chelidae), from Australia. Herpetologica 46, 22–33.

Kennett, R., Roe, J., Hodges, K., and Georges, A. (2009). Chelodina longicollis (Shaw 1794) – eastern long-necked turtle, common long-necked turtle, common snake-necked turtle. Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises 31, 1–8.

Kramer-Schadt, S., Niedballa, J., Pilgrim, J. D., Schroder, B., Lindenborn, J., Reinfelder, V., Stillfried, M., Heckmann, I., Scharf, A. K., Augeri, D. M., Cheyne, S. M., Hearn, A. J., Ross, J., Macdonald, D. W., Mathai, J., Eaton, J., Marshall, A. J., Semiadi, G., Rustam, R., Bernard, H., Alfred, R., Samejima, H., Duckworth, J. W., Breitenmoser-Wuersten, C., Belant, J. L., Hofer, H., and Wilting, A. (2013). The importance of correcting for sampling bias in MaxEnt species distribution models. Diversity & Distributions 19, 1366–1379.
The importance of correcting for sampling bias in MaxEnt species distribution models.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Lee, K. E., Seddon, J. M., Corley, S. W., Ellis, W. A. H., Johnston, S. D., de Villiers, D. L., Preece, H. J., and Carrick, F. N. (2010). Genetic variation and structuring in the threatened koala populations of southeast Queensland. Conservation Genetics 11, 2091–2103.
Genetic variation and structuring in the threatened koala populations of southeast Queensland.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Mittermeier, R. A., van Dijk, P. P., Rhodin, A. G. J., and Nash, S. D. (2015). Turtle hotspots: an analysis of the occurrence of tortoises and freshwater turtles in biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas, and turtle priority areas. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 14, 2–10.
Turtle hotspots: an analysis of the occurrence of tortoises and freshwater turtles in biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas, and turtle priority areas.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Paterson, J. E., Steinberg, B. D., and Litzgus, J. D. (2013). Not just any old pile of dirt: evaluating the use of artificial nesting mounds as conservation tools for freshwater turtles. Oryx 47, 607–615.
Not just any old pile of dirt: evaluating the use of artificial nesting mounds as conservation tools for freshwater turtles.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Paul, K., Quinn, M. S., Huijser, M. P., Graham, J., and Broberg, L. (2014). An evaluation of a citizen science data collection program for recording wildlife observations along a highway. Journal of Environmental Management 139, 180–187.
An evaluation of a citizen science data collection program for recording wildlife observations along a highway.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Phillips, S. J., Anderson, R. P., and Schapire, R. E. (2006). Maximum entropy modeling of species geographic distributions. Ecological Modelling 190, 231–259.
Maximum entropy modeling of species geographic distributions.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Phillips, S. J., Dudík, M, Elith, J, Graham, C. H., Lehmann, A, Leathwick, J, and Ferrier, S (2009). Sample selection bias and presence-only distribution models: implications for background and pseudo-absence data. Ecological Applications 19, 181–197.
Sample selection bias and presence-only distribution models: implications for background and pseudo-absence data.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

R Core Team (2017). R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. Available at: http://www.R-project.org/ [accessed 1 March 2017].

Roe, J. H. (2007). The terrestrial ecology of a freshwater turtle, Chelodina longicollis, in Boderee National Park, Australia. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Canberra, Canberra.

Roe, J. H., and Georges, A. (2008). Terrestrial activity, movements and spatial ecology of an Australian freshwater turtle, Chelodina longicollis, in a temporally dynamic wetland system. Austral Ecology 33, 1045–1056.
Terrestrial activity, movements and spatial ecology of an Australian freshwater turtle, Chelodina longicollis, in a temporally dynamic wetland system.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Ryan, M. (2014). Human impacts on the long-necked turtle Chelodina longicollis (Shaw 1794) in peri-urban Sydney. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Western Sydney.

SAS Institute Inc. (2016). SAS University Edition. Cary, NC, USA. Available at: https://www.sas.com/en_au/software/university-edition/download-software.html

Shilling, F. M., and Waetjen, D. P. (2015). Wildlife–vehicle collision hotspots at US highway extents: scale and data source effects. Nature Conservation 11, 41–60.
Wildlife–vehicle collision hotspots at US highway extents: scale and data source effects.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Silvertown, J. (2009). A new dawn for citizen science. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 24, 467–471.
A new dawn for citizen science.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Spencer, R. J. (2002). Experimentally testing nest site selection: fitness trade-offs and predation risk in turtles. Ecology 83, 2136–2144.
Experimentally testing nest site selection: fitness trade-offs and predation risk in turtles.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Spencer, R. J., and Thompson, M. B. (2005). Experimental analysis of the impact of foxes on freshwater turtle populations. Conservation Biology 19, 845–854.
Experimental analysis of the impact of foxes on freshwater turtle populations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Spencer, R. J., Van Dyke, J. U., and Thompson, M. B. (2017). Critically evaluating best management practices for preventing freshwater turtle extinctions. Conservation Biology 31, 1340–1349.

Steen, D., and Gibbs, J. (2004). Effects of roads on the structure of freshwater turtle populations. Conservation Biology 18, 1143–1148.
Effects of roads on the structure of freshwater turtle populations.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Steen, D., Aresco, M., Beike, S., Compton, E., Condon, E., Kenneth Dodd, C., Forrester, H., Gibbons, J., Greene, J., Johnson, G., Langen, T., Oldham, M., Oxier, D., Saumure, R., Schueler, F., Sleeman, J., Smith, L., Tucker, J., and Gibbs, J. (2006). Relative vulnerability of female turtles to road mortality. Animal Conservation 9, 269–273.
Relative vulnerability of female turtles to road mortality.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Thompson, M. B. (1983). Populations of the Murray River tortoise, Emydura (Chelodina): the effect of egg predation by the red fox, Vulpes vulpes. Australian Wildlife Research 10, 363–371.
Populations of the Murray River tortoise, Emydura (Chelodina): the effect of egg predation by the red fox, Vulpes vulpes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Trombulak, S. C., and Frissell, C. A. (2000). Review of ecological effects of roads on terrestrial and aquatic communities. Conservation Biology 14, 18–30.
Review of ecological effects of roads on terrestrial and aquatic communities.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

van der Ree, R., Smith, D. J., and Grilo, C. (2015). The ecological effects of linear infrastructure and traffic: challenges and opportunities of rapid global growth. In ‘Handbook of Road Ecology’. (Eds R. van der Ree, D. J. Smith, and C. Grilo.) pp. 1–9. (John Wiley & Sons: Chichester, UK.)

Vercayie, D., and Herremans, M. (2015). Citizen science and smartphones take roadkill monitoring to the next level. Nature Conservation 11, 29–40.
Citizen science and smartphones take roadkill monitoring to the next level.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Warren, D. L., Glor, R. E., and Turelli, M. (2008). Environmental niche equivalency versus conservatism: quantitative approaches to niche evolution. Evolution 62, 2868–2883.
Environmental niche equivalency versus conservatism: quantitative approaches to niche evolution.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Wilson, S. K. and Swan, G. (2010). ‘A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia.’ (New Holland Publishers: Sydney.)

Wisz, M. S., Hijmans, R. J., Li, J., Peterson, A. T., Graham, C. H., and Guisan, A. (2008). Effects of sample size on the performance of species distribution models. Diversity & Distributions 14, 763–773.
Effects of sample size on the performance of species distribution models.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Wnek, J. P., Bien, W. F., and Avery, H. W. (2013). Artificial nesting habitats as a conservation strategy for turtle populations experiencing global change. Integrative Zoology 8, 209–221.
Artificial nesting habitats as a conservation strategy for turtle populations experiencing global change.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Wu, Y., and Murphy, R. W. (2015). Concordant species delimitation from multiple independent evidence: a case study with the Pachytriton brevipes complex (Caudata: Salamandridae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 92, 108–117.
Concordant species delimitation from multiple independent evidence: a case study with the Pachytriton brevipes complex (Caudata: Salamandridae).Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Young, N., Carter, L., and Evangelista, P. (2011). A MaxEnt Model v3.3.3e Tutorial (ArcGIS v10). Available at: http://ibis.colostate.edu/WebContent/WS/ ColoradoView/TutorialsDownloads/A_Maxent_Model_v7.pdf [accessed 1 March 2017].

Zeng, Y., Low, B. W., and Yeo, D. C. J. (2016). Novel methods to select environmental variables in MaxEnt: a case study using invasive crayfish. Ecological Modelling 341, 5–13.
Novel methods to select environmental variables in MaxEnt: a case study using invasive crayfish.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |