TurtleBase: a facilitative Ecoinformatics system

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TurtleBase a facilitative Ecoinformatics system

• John Van Hemert

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Acknowledgments

• Janzen Lab
• Dr. Dan Warner
• Dr. Fredric Janzen
• Many other lab members who have collected data
  since 1995
• BCB Lab
• Yves Sucaet
• Fadi Towfic
• Dr. Chris Tuggle
• Dr. Drena Dobbs
• Trish Stauble

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Eco-Informatics

• Long term ecological survey studies
• Field observation
• Large amounts of data

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Why study turtles?
Charnov-Bull model (Charnov,Bull (1977))

• Conservation
• Urban boundary
• Evolution
• Fitness measurements
• Environmental sex determination
• Temperature-dependent sex determination
• How/why is this mechanism favored by natural
  selection?
• Inertia?
• Differential fitness?

Janzen, Phillips. Journal of Evolutionary
Biology. 19(2006)
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Turtle Camp
http//www.public.iastate.edu/fjanzen/

• Each Summer
• Since 1989
• Camp at South Potter's Marsh, Thomson Causeway,
  Thomson, Illinois
• Observe Chrysemys picta (painted turtles), nests,
  and hatchlings

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Observations
Moms Bar code etched into shell Body dimensions
Nests Location Depth Temperatures
Hatchlings Body dimensions Mass Abnormalities Sex
Eggs Mass
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From records to Records

• Instant (after much labor) benefits
• consistency
• automation
• data input
• data analysis tools
• data retrieval via download

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TurtleBase a demo
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Observations overview
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Observations overview
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Observations overview
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Manage Hatchling Observations
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Nest Temperatures
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Track Nest Temperatures
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Other options
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Other options
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Geographic Analysis
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Nest Sets
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Map resolution
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Nest Site Preference
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Size Inheritance
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Location with Experience
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Clutch size with experience
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Charnov-Bull Model (1977)?
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Temp vs sex majority in clutch

• 138 nests with observed hatchlings and
  temperatures
• Classify male or female majority based on mean
  nest temperature
• 74.23 correctly classified
• Classify male or female majority based on mean
  nest temperature in July
• 80.43 correctly classified

24.84
Temp (C)
a b c lt-- classified as 72 22 0 a
male 10 32 0 b female 2 2 0 c equal
26.51
a b c lt-- classified as 85 7 0 a
male 16 26 0 b female 3 1 0 c
equal
Temp (C)
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Graph representation
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Remarks

• Facilitative Eco-informatics
• Efficient large scale analysis of data that was
  previously studied with smaller sample sizes.
• Consistency in data entry, storage, and
  retrieval.
• Remains a challenge in field-based science.
• Economies of scale can be realized with long-term
  survey projects.
• Unfinished
• Records ? Records process incomplete
• Data validation