The effects of temperature and inter-individual variation on the locomotor performance of juvenile turtles

Abstract

The effects of temperature on aquatic and terrestrial locomotor performance, including measures of burst speed, endurance, and righting response, the inter-individual correlation between measures of locomotor performance, and the temporal repeatability of performance were assessed in juvenile western painted turtles, Chrysemys picta bellii. Locomotor performance increased as temperature increased, with Q(10) values ranging from 1.33 to 1.98 for burst speed and 2.28 to 2.76 for endurance measures. Righting response performance also increased with temperature. Aquatic and terrestrial measures of locomotor performance were highly correlated; however, righting response was not correlated with any other measure of performance. Measures of terrestrial locomotor performance were highly repeatable over the entire 30-week study period, whereas aquatic locomotor performance was only repeatable through week 12. The righting response was repeatable over a 6-week study period. Both the interindividual variation and temperature effects on locomotor performance likely influences the survival of turtles, especially juveniles, by affecting the length of time turtles are exposed to potential predators and their ability to escape.