Post-translocation monitoring is fundamental for assessing translocation success and identifying potential threats. We measured outcomes for four cohorts of tuatara Sphenodon punctatus translocated to warmer climates outside of their ecological region, to understand effects of climate warming. Translocation sites were on average 2–4 °C warmer than the source site. We used three short-term measures of success: survival, growth and reproduction. Data on recaptures, morphometric measurements, and reproduction were gathered over 2.5 years following release. Although decades of monitoring will be required to determine long-term translocation success in this species, we provide an interim measure of population progress and translocation site suitability. We found favourable recapture numbers, growth of founders and evidence of reproduction at most sites, with greater increases in body mass observed at warmer, less densely populated sites. Variable growth in the adult population at one translocation site suggested that higher population density, intraspecific competition, and lower water availability could be responsible for substantial weight loss in multiple individuals, and we make management recommendations to reduce population density. Overall, we found that sites with warmer climates and lower population densities were potentially beneficial to translocated tuatara, probably because of enhanced temperature-dependent and density-dependent growth rates. We conclude that tuatara could benefit from translocations to warmer sites in the short term, but further monitoring of this long-lived species is required to determine longer-term population viability following translocation. Future vulnerability to rising air temperatures, associated water availability, and community and ecosystem changes beyond the scope of this study must be considered.

中文翻译：

---

tuatara Sphenodon punctatus 从库克海峡迁移到其历史范围内较温暖的地方后的生存和生长

易位后监测是评估易位成功和识别潜在威胁的基础。我们测量了四组 tuatara 的结果斑鲶转移到其生态区域以外的温暖气候，以了解气候变暖的影响。易位点平均比源点温度高 2-4°C。我们使用了三种短期成功衡量标准：生存、成长和繁殖。在发布后的 2.5 年内收集了有关重新捕获、形态测量和繁殖的数据。尽管需要数十年的监测来确定该物种的长期易位成功，但我们提供了种群进展和易位地点适宜性的临时措施。我们在大多数地点发现了有利的重新捕获数量、创始人的增长和繁殖的证据，在温暖、人口密度较低的地点观察到体重增加更大。一个易位地点成年人口的可变增长表明，较高的种群密度、种内竞争和较低的水供应量可能是导致多个个体体重大幅下降的原因，我们提出了降低种群密度的管理建议。总体而言，我们发现气候较暖和人口密度较低的地点可能对易位的大蜥蜴有利，这可能是因为温度依赖性和密度依赖性增长率提高。我们的结论是，大蜥蜴可以在短期内从易位到较温暖的地点受益，但需要进一步监测这种长寿物种，以确定易位后的长期种群生存能力。未来易受气温上升、相关水供应、