You think turtles are sluggish? Let me introduce you to the #EuropeanPondTurtle (Emys orbicularis)! This freshwater marvel thrives across Europe and northern Africa. But here’s the twist: it’s not just surviving; it’s battling habitat destruction and #InvasiveSpecies.
Figure 1: Emys orbicularis, born in the wild as part of the reintroduction project Emys-R
I’m part of the Emys-R-Team. My role? To figure out how we can restore #Wetlands effectively, get community support, and ensure it’s all sustainable – all in favour of the European pond turtle. But the awesomeness doesn’t stop with #Emys. When we help these turtles, we’re giving a #biodiversity boost to an entire ecosystem: the #wetland. That means a better world for us and every critter and plant involved.
Here’s the exciting part: I’m out there, a freshwater ecologist in action, studying turtle behaviour and their #FoodWeb. Ever wondered what they munched on? To find out, I was in the lab, extracting (e)DNA from their poop (yep, you read that right). And with a sprinkle of lab magic*, voilà! We’ve got a fancy list showing exactly what’s on their menu.
Figure 2: Johannes Meka, turtle monitoring in the field
So here, #eDNA helps to uncover ways to preserve the European pond turtle. But it’s not just a turtle tale – it’s about reviving a whole ecosystem.
#eDNACollaborative #eDNA #SGNScience #EmysR #Biodiversity #Turtle #TurtleConservation #WetlandRestoration #FreshwaterEcology #EmysOrbicularis #WildlifeResearch
*long hours of pipetting, spending loads of money on sequencing, waiting for results, drinking tons of coffee, …