Activity of a freshwater turtle varies across a latitudinal gradient: implications for the success of assisted colonisation

The value of assisted colonisation as a response to climate change can only be realised if focal species are well suited to their new habitats. For ectotherms, new habitats must offer microclimates that promote crucial behaviours such as thermoregulation and foraging.
The Western Swamp Turtle (Pseudemydura umbrina), a Critically Endangered species from southwestern Australia, serves as a global case-study of assisted colonisation in action. Initial trials where juvenile P. umbrina were released into wetter and cooler climates found that individuals spent considerable time at body temperatures that apparently limited their growth.
Using high-resolution biologging data (temperature and depth), here we tested if turtle activity is thermally constrained in cooler latitudes by releasing 48 juveniles into seasonal swamps at three sites. One site was core natural habitat, and the other sites were wetlands 380 km apart that offered either warmer or cooler microclimates. Generalised additive mix..., Data was collected by attaching Data Storage Tags to turtles that recorded temperature and depth., The dataset can be analysed using R-program and Microsoft-Excel.