Pelomedusa subrufa dry faecal mass and egg densities

Marsh helmeted terrapins (Pelomedusa subrufa) potentially facilitate
zoochory of fairy shrimp dormant eggs between temporary wetland
environments. Dominance hierarchies are known to establish in freshwater
testudine populations, with larger-sized or older individuals being
dominant over smaller or younger individuals. We assessed for zoochory
potential between large- and small-sized turtles by assessing P. subrufa
faecal samples from a temporary pan which was observed to hold high
densities of both the terrapin and fairy shrimp. Small-sized terrapin dry
faecal mass was similar to large-sized terrapin dry faecal mass. However,
potential egg densities were much higher in small-sized
terrapin.