by Scott Schrage | University Communication and Marketing
A projected rise in droughts could muddy the waters for painted turtles and some fellow freshwater-dwelling reptiles, says 11 years of data collected by 50-plus undergraduates from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Two recent studies based on the data suggest that drought can lower the survival odds, slow the growth and even skew the ratio of female-to-male painted turtles inhabiting the ponds of the Cornhusker State. Those outcomes emerged despite the water level of a sampled pond in southwestern Nebraska remaining relatively steady throughout the observed periods of drought.
“I have to admit: When the students launched into it, I wasn’t sure that we were going to find drought impacts,” said Larkin Powell, a professor in the School of Natural Resources who oversaw the studies. “I think it’s interesting that we found the drought impacts that we did, just given the fact that this is not a pond that completely dried up.”
Read the rest of the story and see more images at:
More details at: https://ianrnews.unl.edu/undergrad-driven-project-reveals-drought-s-effects-painted-turtles