Drivers of Thermal Habitat Use in Turtles Studied Under Semi‐Natural Conditions
-experienced habitat temperatures near the lower limit of what was available in enclosures and showed little individual variation, suggesting limited capacity for behavioral adjustment under future warming. Experienced habitat temperatures differed among species and were influenced by body mass, but not sex. By providing the first large-scale, cross-species dataset on experienced habitat temperatures in turtles under standardized conditions, this study offers a framework for assessing thermal vulnerability and adaptive capacity in response to climate change. These findings also inform conservation efforts, including the design of captive environments that reflect species-specific thermal needs.
Authors
- Pierre Moisson
- Jana Stupavsky
- Brandon T. Hastings (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3195-9109)
- J A Monty Claude
- Ylenia Chiari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2338-8602)
- Scott Glaberman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0594-4732)
- Austin A Ray
- Miguel A. Carretero
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Université de Corse Pascal Paoli (FR)
- University of Nottingham (GB)
- Chulalongkorn University (TH)
- Universidade do Porto (PT)
- Université de Montpellier (FR)
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- University of South Alabama (US)
- Virginia Tech (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Ecology and Evolution
- Published
- 2026-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73325
- Primary Topic
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia