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Vol. 48 No. 1, 2009
Changes in the Population Structure and Diet of the Chinese StripeNecked Turtle (Mauremys sinensis) Inhabiting a Disturbed River in Northern Taiwan
Tien-Hsi Chen1,2,* and Kuang-Yang Lue1
1Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 116, Taiwan
2General Education Center, Ching Kuo Institute of Management and Health, Keelung 203 , Taiwan
Tien-Hsi Chen and Kuang-Yang Lue (2009) The population structure and diet of the Chinese stripe-necked turtle, Mauremys (Ocadia) sinensis,
were investigated in the Keelung River, northern Taiwan, following
severe habitat disturbances. During a 2-yr levee construction and
channel dredging project, the physical characteristics and riparian
vegetation of the river were dramatically altered. Compared with
results obtained prior to the disturbance, sex ratios were
significantly skewed toward males, and the proportion of larger females
significantly decreased both during and after project
construction. Moreover, fewer small-sized juveniles were found
following the construction disturbance. The diet of M. sinensis
also changed, with plant materials assuming greater importance than
they had prior to the disturbance. Furthermore, the mean volume
of food ingested decreased both during and after the project.
This tendency was more pronounced in females than males. Dietary
overlap indices between the sexes during (0.591) and after (0.922) the
project suggest that intraspecific food competition increased
throughout the duration of the study.
Key words: Habitat disturbance, Population structure, Diet, River modification, Mauremys sinensis.
*Correspondence: E-mail:cuora.flavo@msa.hinet.net
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