02206nas a2200361 4500008004100000245012000041210006900161260000800230300001200238490000700250520110700257653001101364653002001375653001901395653001901414653001901433653002501452653000901477653001201486653001901498653001201517653002501529653003001554653001601584653001301600653001301613653001501626100001701641700001901658700002001677700001801697856012901715 1999 eng d00aConcentrations and patterns of organochlorine contaminants in marine turtles from Mediterranean and Atlantic waters0 aConcentrations and patterns of organochlorine contaminants in ma cMAR a117-1350 v473 aConcentrations of individual chlorobiphenyls (CBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in marine turtle tissues collected from the Mediterranean (Cyprus, Greece) and European Atlantic waters (Scotland) between 1994 and 1996 are described. Sigma CB concentrations were highest in adipose tissue and ranged from 775 to 893, 39 to 261 and 47 to 178 mu g/kg wet wt in loggerhead (Caretta carretta), green (Chelonia mydas) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) turtles, respectively. Omnivorous loggerhead turtles had the highest organochlorine contaminant (OC) concentrations in all tissues sampled. It is thought that dietary preferences were likely to be the main differentiating factor among species. Decreasing lipid contaminant burdens with turtle size were observed in green turtles, most likely attributable to a change in diet with age. Principal component analysis of data from loggerhead and green turtles indicated that there were also pattern differences between species, confirming bioaccumulation differences. Crown copyright (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.10acanada10aCaretta caretta10aChelonia mydas10achlorobiphenyl10achromatography10adermochelys coriacea10aeggs10amammals10aMarine turtles10aontario10aORGANIC CONTAMINANTS10aOrganochlorine pesticides10apopulations10aReptilia10aRESIDUES10aserpentina1 aMcKenzie, C.1 aGodley, B., J.1 aFurness, R., W.1 aWells, D., E. uhttps://icgf.myspecies.info/content/concentrations-and-patterns-organochlorine-contaminants-marine-turtles-mediterranean-and02224nas a2200217 4500008004100000245007300041210006900114260001200183300001200195490000800207520156100215653001401776653001301790653002201803653002101825653001001846653001201856100002001868700001501888856010301903 2003 eng d00aSexual dimorphism of body size and shell shape in European tortoises0 aSexual dimorphism of body size and shell shape in European torto c2003/// a353-3650 v2603 aAdult body size and shape were examined in almost 1400 individuals of the tortoises Testudo graeca, T. hermanni and T. marginata from Greece. The size at maturity was greater in females than in males in all three species. Maximum and mean adult sizes were also greater in females than in males in T. graeca and T. hermanni. Males grew to a larger size than females in T. marginata, and mean adult size was similar in the sexes in this species. Sexual dimorphism of shape (adjusted for size covariate) was shown in most of the characters examined, and the degree of this dimorphism differed significantly among the three species. Differences were related to their contrasting courtship behaviours: horizontal head movements and severe biting in T. marginata, vertical head bobs and carapace butting in T. graeca, and mounting and tail thrusting in T. hermanni. There was no difference in the frequency of observations of courtship or fighting among the three species, but courtship was about 10 times more common than combat in males. All species showed greatest courtship activity in autumn; copulation was rarely observed in T. hermanni (only 0.36% of courting males) and not seen in the other species in the field. Observations made throughout the activity season indicated that feeding was equally common in males and females in all three species. Differences in shape were more likely to be the result of sexual selection than of natural selection for fecundity. Detailed predictions are made for sexual dimorphism of other characters in these species.10aCourtship10aReptilia10aSexual dimorphism10asexual selection10aShape10aTestudo1 aWillemsen, R.E.1 aHailey, A. uhttps://icgf.myspecies.info/content/sexual-dimorphism-body-size-and-shell-shape-european-tortoises02061nas a2200217 4500008004100000245010400041210006900145260001200214300001200226490000600238520136000244653001001604653001701614653001301631653001201644653002101656653001301677100002001690700001501710856011801725 1999 eng d00aA latitudinal cline of dark plastral pigmentation in the tortoise Testudo hermanni in Greece0 alatitudinal cline of dark plastral pigmentation in the tortoise  c1999/// a125-1320 v93 aThe area of dark pigmentation on the plastron of the tortoise Testudo hermanni shows a latitudinal cline over about 400 km in Greece, with populations in the south being darker. The carapace did not show the clinal trend, and pigmentation was not significantly related to longitude or altitude. We examined several possible explanations for the cline, including an effect of incubation temperature, random genetic variation, and adaptation to several environmental variables. The most likely explanation is selection for thermoregulation, with decreased dark pigmentation in the north reducing heat loss to the substrate by infra red radiation during activity. This hypothesis was supported by data on body (T(b)) and substrate (T(s)) temperatures in populations from northern, central and southern Greece. T(b) was generally above T(s), showing that heat would generally be lost rather than gained through the plastron, and the mean difference T(b)-T(s) was greatest in the north: +6.6 °C, compared to +2.4 °C in the south. Mean T(b) was lowest in the south (26.9°C, compared to 29.3°C in the north) and the slope of T(b) on T(s) was about 1 (compared to 0.5 in the north). Thermoregulation in southern Greece is similar to that of tropical tortoises, with avoidance of overheating being the major problem, rather than elevation of T(b) for activity.10aCline10aPigmentation10aReptilia10aTestudo10athermoregulation10aTortoise1 aWillemsen, R.E.1 aHailey, A. uhttps://icgf.myspecies.info/content/latitudinal-cline-dark-plastral-pigmentation-tortoise-testudo-hermanni-greece02354nas a2200229 4500008004100000245011400041210006900155260001200224300001200236490000800248520157600256653001401832653002501846653001101871653002801882653001301910653001601923653002101939100002001960700001501980856012901995 1999 eng d00aVariation of adult body size of the tortoise Testudo hermanni in Greece: Proximate and ultimate causes0 aVariation of adult body size of the tortoise iTestudo hermanni i c1999/// a379-3960 v2483 aSeventeen populations of T. hermanni in Greece differed substantially in mean adult body size, over a range of about one and a half times in length and three times in mass. Females were the larger sex in all populations; the degree of sexual size dimorphism did not vary with mean body size. The proximate cause of the variation of body size among populations was differences in the duration of growth, rather than egg or hatchling size or the growth rates of juveniles. The age at maturity (á) increased with body size in the 17 populations, while the Bertalanffy growth constant (k) decreased with body size. The quantities áM and M/k (where M is the instantaneous mortality rate) were invariant with body size, suggesting that differences between populations were adaptive rather than the result of short-term disturbance. Body size was greater in cooler areas, and increased with both latitude and altitude. This pattern is opposite to that found in most ectotherms (the reverse Bergmann's rule), and to that which occurs between tortoise species. Several hypotheses about the possible ultimate causes of variation of body size were rejected, including adaptation to long-term habitat disturbance (land use), character displacement, social factors, energetics, thermoregulation, r-K selection, the length of the season available for incubation, or differences in juvenile mortality. The most likely ultimate cause of size variation between sites is differences in adult mortality, the correlation with environmental temperature being through the frequency of fires.10aBody size10aGeographic variation10agrowth10aLife history invariants10aReptilia10atemperature10aTestudo hermanni1 aWillemsen, R.E.1 aHailey, A. uhttps://icgf.myspecies.info/content/variation-adult-body-size-tortoise-testudo-hermanni-greece-proximate-and-ultimate-causes02168nas a2200229 4500008004100000245012800041210006900169260001200238300001000250490000800260520139000268653001401658653001601672653001701688653001501705653001301720653001801733653002101751100002001772700001501792856013101807 2001 eng d00aVariation in adult survival rate of the tortoise Testudo hermanni in Greece: Implications for evolution of body size0 aVariation in adult survival rate of the tortoise iTestudo herman c2001/// a43-530 v2553 aAdult annual survival rates estimated by mark-recapture for eight Greek populations of the tortoise Testudo hermanni were in the range 0.80-1.0 (mean 0.886). Estimates from growth rings for the same populations were in a similar range (0.84-0.95, mean 0.899). The average survival rate from the two methods was significantly positively related to mean adult body size (r = 0.815) and negatively related to effective temperature (r = -0.880). A life table model was used to investigate the consequences of adult survival rate for optimum age at maturity and mean adult size of females. The basis of the model was the trade-off between increased reproduction from large adult size, and decreased survival to maturity from delayed age at maturity. The model showed that the observed variation in adult survival rates was more than sufficient to account for the variation of adult size among populations. The model thus predicted an even greater range of mean adult size than that observed. A negative correlation between growth rate and adult survival rate or age at maturity, as observed, was needed to fit the size data. The model supports the hypothesis that variation in adult size of T. hermanni in Greece is adaptive (rather than a non-adaptive environmental or phylogenetic effect) and due to variation in adult survival rates (rather than other factors such as juvenile survival).10aBody size10aGrowth rate10alife history10aLife table10aReptilia10aSurvival rate10aTestudo hermanni1 aWillemsen, R.E.1 aHailey, A. uhttps://icgf.myspecies.info/content/variation-adult-survival-rate-tortoise-testudo-hermanni-greece-implications-evolution-body02043nas a2200217 4500008004100000245008100041210006900122260001200191300001200203490000700215520134900222653002001571653001301591653001101604653001901615653002101634653002201655100002001677700001501697856011301712 2002 eng d00aBody mass condition in greek tortoises: Regional and interspecific variation0 aBody mass condition in greek tortoises Regional and interspecifi c2002/// a105-1140 v123 aBody mass and length data from large samples of wild Testudo graeca, T. hermanni and T. marginata in Greece were used to assess body mass condition. Mass-length relationships differed significantly between the sexes (females being heavier) and among the species (T. marginata being least heavy). Mass-length relationships for each species and sex were used to calculate the condition index (CI) log (M/M?), where M is observed mass and M? is mass predicted from length, which is equal to residuals from the regression of log M on log length. It was possible to use the empirical mass-length relationships from one population of T. hermanni to calculate CI in other populations of substantially different adult size. The seasonal pattern of the CI varied with latitude, with a sharper and later peak further north, and habitat, declining more in summer at a xeric coastal site. The seasonal patterns of CI in T. graeca and T. marginata were similar, with sharper and later peaks compared to T. hermanni. These seasonal patterns of CI were related to differences in activity and food availability among species and sites. The variability of the CI was similar in all three species, with most values between -0.1 and +0.1; seasonal variation was of relatively low amplitude, with a range of about 0.05 between the highest and lowest monthly means.10aCondition index10aReptilia10aseason10aTestudo graeca10aTestudo hermanni10aTestudo marginata1 aWillemsen, R.E.1 aHailey, A. uhttps://icgf.myspecies.info/content/body-mass-condition-greek-tortoises-regional-and-interspecific-variation02989nas a2200301 4500008004100000245013400041210006900175260001200244300001200256490000700268520203500275653001402310653001102324653002002335653001602355653001302371653001202384653001102396653002602407653002702433653001502460653002002475653001702495653001302512100001502525700001902540856012802559 2000 eng d00aVariation in morphology and reproduction in loggerheads, Caretta caretta, nesting in the United States, Brazil, and Greece0 aVariation in morphology and reproduction in loggerheads iCaretta c2000/// a343-3560 v563 aMany studies have addressed intraspecific variation in life history traits in vertebrates. We quantified differences in morphology and reproductive output of loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, nesting in Florida (temperate population), Brazil (tropical population), and Greece (Mediterranean population). Body size of nesting loggerheads, dutch size, egg size (diameter and mass), and nest dimensions were measured. Straight carapace lengths of nesting loggerheads in Florida and Brazil were not significantly different, but Greek turtles were smaller than those in the two Atlantic populations. Clutch size comparisons showed that Greek turtles produced the largest clutches relative to body size, followed by Brazil and Florida. Egg size varied significantly among the three populations. Nest dimensions were similar between Florida and Greece, whereas only depth of topmost egg and width of nest chamber were similar between Greece and Brazil. Differences among populations indicate that each population experiences and responds to a different combination of selective factors both at and away from the nesting beach. Morphological and reproductive data on other loggerhead populations were compiled from the literature and examined for latitudinal trends in all ocean basins and within the Atlantic-Mediterranean. A significant negative correlation was found between latitude and both body size and egg size in all ocean basins and within the Atlantic-Mediterranean. No correlation was found between clutch size and latitude. Correlations were not significant when Mediterranean data were excluded from the analyses, suggesting that sea turtles in the Mediterranean encounter environmental conditions significantly different from those experienced by oceanic populations. Reproductive output in loggerheads was found to support the optimal egg size theory. This study highlights important differences among populations and emphasizes the need for conserving genetic and phenotypic variation in marine turtle populations.10aBody size10aBrazil10aCaretta caretta10aClutch size10aEgg size10aFlorida10aGreece10aLatitudinal variation10aLoggerhead sea turtles10amorphology10aNest dimensions10areproduction10aReptilia1 aTiwari, M.1 aBjorndal, K.A. uhttps://icgf.myspecies.info/content/variation-morphology-and-reproduction-loggerheads-caretta-caretta-nesting-united-states01961nas a2200241 4500008004100000245013900041210006900180260001200249300001200261490000800273520114000281653002401421653001201445653000901457653002601466653001301492653001401505653002101519653001301540100001501553700002001568856013101588 2000 eng d00aPopulation density and adult sex ratio of the tortoise Testudo hermanni in Greece: Evidence for intrinsic population regulation0 aPopulation density and adult sex ratio of the tortoise iTestudo  c2000/// a325-3380 v2513 aThe idea that the size of animal populations may be regulated by factors intrinsic to them, such as behaviour, has a long history in ecology. Although this idea is now rejected as a general mechanism, it may apply in some species where females are damaged during courtship attempts, such as the Mediterranean tortoise Testudo hermanni. The sex ratios (adult males: adult females) of most dense Greek populations were more extreme (over 1.5:1) than could be accounted for by the earlier age at maturity of males, and some ranged to over 6:1. The sex ratio was correlated with the population density of adult males and the frequency of courtship attempts on females, and negatively correlated with the longevity of females. A high population density of males limits the density of adult females. This intrinsic regulation of population size is a consequence, rather than a goal, of a particular type of courtship behaviour (persistent thrusts by the male using a tail with a sharp terminal spur) in T. hermanni. Existing population densities at many Greek sites are probably unnaturally high, owing to the reduction of natural predators.10aCourtship behaviour10adensity10aKAPE10aPopulation regulation10aReptilia10aSex ratio10aTestudo hermanni10aTortoise1 aHailey, A.1 aWillemsen, R.E. uhttps://icgf.myspecies.info/content/population-density-and-adult-sex-ratio-tortoise-testudo-hermanni-greece-evidence-intrinsic03295nas a2200421 4500008004500000020001400045245011400059210006900173260000800242300001400250490000700264520204000271653001902311653001202330653002402342653002802366653001502394653002102409653002002430653002302450653001102473653001202484653001302496653002402509653001802533653001302551653001302564653002102577653002102598653002202619100002502641700001802666700001702684700001802701700001402719700001202733856012802745 2011 Engldsh  a1354-101300aSpatial heterogeneity in the effects of climate change on the population dynamics of a Mediterranean tortoise0 aSpatial heterogeneity in the effects of climate change on the po cOct a3075-30880 v173 aClimatic shifts may increase the extinction risk of populations, especially when they are already suffering from other anthropogenic impacts. Our ability to predict the consequences of climate change on endangered species is limited by our scarce knowledge of the effects of climate variability on the population dynamics of most organisms and by the uncertainty of climate projections, which depend strongly on the region of the earth being considered. In this study, we analysed a long-term monitoring programme (1988-2009) of Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) aimed at evaluating the consequences of the drastic changes in temperature and precipitation patterns predicted for the Mediterranean region on the demography of a long-lived species with low dispersal capability and already suffering a large number of threats. Capture-recapture modelling of a population in the Ebro Delta (NE Spain) allowed us to assess the effect of climate variability on the survival of tortoises. Winter rainfall was found to be the major driver of juvenile and immature survival, whereas that of adults remained high and constant across the study. Furthermore, local climate series obtained ad hoc from regional climate simulations, for this and 10 additional Mediterranean locations where tortoises occurred, provided us with reliable future climate forecasts, which were used to simulate the fate of these populations under three precipitation scenarios (mean, wet and dry) using stochastic population modelling. We show that a shift to a more arid climate would have negative consequences for population persistence, enhancing juvenile mortality and increasing quasiextinction risk because of a decrease in recruitment. These processes varied depending on the population and the climate scenario we considered, but our results suggest that unless other human-induced causes of mortality are suppressed (e. g. poaching, fire, habitat fragmentation), climate variability will increase extinction risk within most of the species' current range.10aADULT SURVIVAL10aanimals10aclimate projections10aCONSERVATION STRATEGIES10ademography10aDESERT TORTOISES10aextinction risk10aGOPHERUS-AGASSIZII10aGreece10aimpacts10anorthern10apopulation matrices10aprecipitation10areptiles10asurvival10aTestudo hermanni10aTESTUDO-HERMANNI10aTURTLE POPULATION1 aFernandez-Chacon, A.1 aBertolero, A.1 aAmengual, A.1 aTavecchia, G.1 aHomar, V.1 aOro, D. uhttps://icgf.myspecies.info/content/spatial-heterogeneity-effects-climate-change-population-dynamics-mediterranean-tortoise01411nas a2200265 4500008004500000020001400045245009600059210006900155260000800224300001200232490000600244520058100250653001300831653002100844653002000865653002500885653001300910100001400923700001800937700001500955700001700970700001800987700002501005856011501030 2009 Engldsh  a1755-098X00aCharacterization of microsatellite loci in the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis0 aCharacterization of microsatellite loci in the European pond tur cJan a189-1910 v93 aA set of eight highly polymorphic microsatellite markers was isolated and characterized from a genomic library enriched for dinucleotide repeats in the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis. The markers were tested for polymorphism in a total of 33 turtles sampled in two natural ponds in the nature reserve of Kerkini, northern Greece. Number of alleles varied from 10 to 18, and expected heterozygosity ranged between 0.738 and 0.921. This novel set of loci will be particularly useful to assess fine-scale population structure and for parentage analysis in E. orbicularis.10aEmydidae10aEmys orbicularis10amicrosatellites10aPopulation structure10areptiles1 aCiofi, C.1 aTzika, A., C.1 aNatali, C.1 aChelazzi, G.1 aNaziridis, T.1 aMilinkovitch, M., C. uhttps://icgf.myspecies.info/content/characterization-microsatellite-loci-european-pond-turtle-emys-orbicularis01823nas a2200313 4500008004100000245007100041210006900112260000900181300001200190490000700202520094700209653001301156653001701169653001801186653000901204653001301213653001401226653001301240653002301253653001901276653002101295653001901316653002301335653002501358653001901383100001701402700001901419856007101438 2001 eng d00aAnalysis of stranded sea turtles in the North-Western Adriatic Sea0 aAnalysis of stranded sea turtles in the NorthWestern Adriatic Se c2001 a101-1080 v243 a

Through systematic recording of stranded individuals, it was shown that marine turtles regularly occur in the Upper Adriatic Sea. All 443 specimens examined belonged to the Logger-head Turtle, Caretta caretta. The highest numbers are found during the summer months (July-September), the lowest in the cold season. Most individuals are juveniles, suggesting that Loggerheads use the Upper Adriatic Sea primarily as foragoing area until they reach maturity. The northwester Adriatic Sea seems not to play an important role as a wintering and hibernation area, and no important role at all for adults. In 1999, exceptionally high numbers of Loggerhead Turtles were recorded (n = 95); most of them were smaller than 40 cm Curved Carapace Length, and thus smaller than the average of other years. Two Loggerhead Turtles recovered in the Adriatic Sea had been tagged at the nesting grounds at Zakynthos, Greece.

10aAdriatic10adistribution10aMediterranean10asize10astranded10astranding10atemporal10aΑδριατική10aαδύναμη10aκατανομή10aμέγεθος10aΜεσόγειος10aπαράπλευρη10aχρονική1 aAffronte, M.1 aScaravelli, D. uhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/09397140.2001.1063788802221nas a2200253 4500008004100000020001400041245010700055210006900162260000900231300001400240490000800254520136200262653001401624653001501638653001901653653002101672653001901693653005001712100001301762700001201775700001701787700001501804856014801819 2007 eng d a0025-316200aEmergence pattern of loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) hatchlings from Kyparissia Bay, Greece0 aEmergence pattern of loggerhead turtle iCaretta carettai hatchli cJune a1743-17490 v1513 a

The present study describes the emergence pattern of loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings (Caretta caretta) from a nesting beach in Kyparissia Bay (Greece). We try to establish the role played by hatchling biometry, nest relocation and distance from nest to the sea on this emergence pattern. We surveyed a total of 32 nests, and found long emergence periods (mean=6.7 nights). The majority of emergences occurred at night, mainly between 0030 and 0100hours, and in small groups. Most of the hatchlings emerged from the nests the first night. We found no clear trend when we studied the effect of hatchling biometry between successive emergence days. We also found that relocation of the nests did not significantly affect the emergence pattern. However, we noted that in the relocated nests, hatchlings emerged in smaller groups. Emergence periods were inversely related to distance from the sea. In short, factors such as climate conditions, relocation and nest distance to the sea appear to have some effect on the emergence pattern. Therefore, they should be taken into account in both biological studies and management plans for sea turtle nesting beaches. Our results suggest leaving an extended period between the first emergence of hatchlings and the excavation of nests by researchers in future studies in the area.

10aemergence10ahatchlings10aKyparissia Bay10aεμφάνιση10aνεοσσοί10aο κόλπος της Κυπαρισσίας1 aAdam, V.1 aTur, C.1 aRees, A., F.1 aTomás, J. uhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/225482607_Emergence_pattern_of_loggerhead_turtle_Caretta_caretta_hatchlings_from_Kyparissia_Bay_Greece