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.