Patrones espacio-temporales asociados a características del sedimento respecto a la disponibilidad de áreas de anidación para tres especies de tortugas el Amazonas colombo-peruano

Abstract

The analysis of spatial, temporal, and environmental patterns of the availability of turtle nesting areas is essential for the understanding of the factors associated with their survival, as and for an optimal development of conservation activities. The objective was to identify patterns of spatial influence associated with sediment characteristics regarding the availability of nesting areas for three species of turtles, in a multitemporal framework. The methodology comprises two phases. The first field phase was carried out during July and August of 2019, we participated in conservation activities being carried out by five indigenous communities, we visited six beaches and took soil samples from places where the females of each species nested. In the second office phase, an analysis was carried out on a laboratory analysis of the physical and chemical characteristics of the soil samples was carried out. A supervised classification of beaches was done from satellite images Landsat 5, 7 and 8, from September of each year of activity of the conservation program. A total of 14 soil samples were analyzed. They showed the ideal conditions and/or preference of turtles for oviposition processes. Such conditions included texture, color, density, pH, organic matter, presence of allophones (volcanic material) and carbonates. A total of 12 supervised beach classifications were obtained. The availability of the six beaches had remarkable variability in terms of size, shape, and location. Two new beach extensions and changes in river morphology were observed. In conclusion, in various geospatial and multi-temporal factors influence the reproductive ecology of river turtles. These are related to the conditions of the aquatic ecosystem, and the availability and characteristics of nesting sites.