1. Turtles from Asia are on the brink of extinction with 53% of species considered endangered or critically endangered. Unfortunately, the ecology of many threatened species remains largely unknown.
2. In this study, the diet of the endangered Beale’s eyed turtle (Sacalia bealei) was investigated using two methods, visual faecal content analysis and stable isotope analysis.
3. Results from both methods indicated that S. bealei is highly reliant on riparian resources, especially fruits and terrestrial insects. Stable isotope data indicated that terrestrial resources made up around half (47–53%) of all assimilated food resources. These findings suggest that S. bealei facilitates energy flow from riparian forests to stream ecosystems. Moreover, S. bealei is likely to be a seed disperser for riparian plants.
4. This study represents the first application of stable isotope methods to examine the diet of Asian freshwater turtles and their resource use. We stress the importance of similar studies to improve our understanding of remnant turtle populations before they disappear as a result of human activities.

中文翻译：

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使用粪便含量和稳定同位素分析评估濒临灭绝的比尔眼龟（Sacalia bealei）的饮食：对保护的影响

1. 来自亚洲的海龟濒临灭绝，53% 的物种被认为是濒危或极度濒危。不幸的是，许多受威胁物种的生态在很大程度上仍然未知。
2. 在这项研究中，使用两种方法调查了濒临灭绝的比尔眼龟 ( Sacalia bealei )的饮食，即视觉粪便含量分析和稳定同位素分析。
3. 两种方法的结果表明，S. bealei高度依赖河岸资源，尤其是水果和陆生昆虫。稳定同位素数据表明，陆地资源约占所有同化食物资源的一半（47-53%）。这些发现表明，S. bealei促进了从河岸森林到河流生态系统的能量流动。此外，S. bealei很可能是河岸植物的种子传播者。
4. 这项研究代表了稳定同位素方法的首次应用，以检查亚洲淡水龟的饮食及其资源利用。我们强调类似研究的重要性，以提高我们对由于人类活动而消失的海龟种群的了解。