Potential Implications of an Induced Fire on the Demography of Freshwater Turtles

Abstract

Annual induced fires have caused significant changes in the composition and structure of wildlife globally. These events are particularly critical for species with limited mobility and small clutch sizes, such as small and medium-sized freshwater turtles in the tropics. At the same time, this topic has received little attention and has not been documented in countries with a high diversity of freshwater turtles, such as Mexico. In this study, we report the mortality of the red-cheeked mud turtle (Kinosternon scorpioides cruentatum) and the Pacific Coast musk turtle (Staurotypus salvinii) caused by a fire in the north portion of the municipality of Suchiate, Chiapas, Mexico. Specifically, our aims were to (1) register the plant species where the turtles occurred, (2) determine the population structure of each turtle species, and (3) estimate the density, size, and sex ratio of the dead turtles of each species. Additionally, we discuss the potential effects of fire on the demography of these turtles in the study site.