Baby turtle research part of Hawkesbury conservation effort

The experiment is part of an Australia-wide research effort in to the country’s freshwater turtle populations, and how scientists can help more of them survive.

"Turtles play an essential role in the ecosystem," WSU School of Science and Health associate professor of ecology, Dr Ricky Spencer, told the Gazette.

They help maintain water health for plants and other animals by ‘vacuuming up’ algae and dead material and eating young pest fish, such as European carp.

However, there are many dangers for turtles in Australia, which could threaten their future; from foxes eating nesting females and their eggs to droughts and urban development.

Dr Spencer and his team will monitor the newly-hatched eastern long-necked turtles via tiny transmitters attached to their backs using a special type of glue.

Currently the size of a 20-cent piece, the turtles will eventually shed these transmitters via shell-shedding as they get older.

“We’re looking at doing what researchers do with sea turtles - controlled release, and protecting the nests. So part of this project is to release hatchlings with transmitters to see where they go and how many survive,” said Dr Spencer.

Dr Spencer and his team are conducting their studies at WSU’s Australian Freshwater Turtle Research Facility. The site combines indoor aquatic rooms with glasshouse facilities, as well as laboratory facilities that can incubate more than 2,000 eggs each season - many of which are from some of Australia's most endangered species.

Down the track, the team will place some of the turtles in controlled ponds with turtles from a different species, called the murray short-neck, to see how they interact.

“They’re a native Australian species but may be a competitor. There’ll be interesting potential dynamics - there may be competition in terms of food. It’s one of those intriguing questions scientists have been asking for a while,” said Dr Spencer.