51
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Prior B, Booth DT, Limpus CJ. Investigating diet and diet switching in green turtles (Chelonia mydas). AUST J ZOOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1071/zo15063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the dietary ecology of animals provides information about their habitat requirements, facilitating informed conservation. We used last-bite diet and stable isotope analysis to assess the diet of juvenile and adult green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at two different habitats located 10 km apart within Port Curtis, Queensland, Australia. Last-bite diet analysis indicated that turtles had distinctly different diets in these two habitats: in one the diet was dominated by red macroalgae and in the other the diet was dominated by seagrass. Only juveniles (n = 12) were caught in the habitat where red macroalgae dominated the diet, while both juveniles (n = 9) and adults (n = 38) were captured in the habitat where seagrass dominated the diet. In the seagrass habitat there was no difference in diet between juveniles and adults, and no difference in diet between adult males (n = 17) and females (n = 21).
Because the red macroalgae and seagrass had distinctly different carbon stable isotope ratios, it was possible to detect a change in diet by comparing the carbon stable isotope ratio between serum and epidermal tissue sampled from the same turtle. In this region, a switch in diet would reflect a shift in foraging habitat. Such comparisons indicate that ~50% of turtles switched diet, and therefore changed foraging habitat between the time when blood serum and epidermis were formed. This implies that switching foraging habitat by green turtles within this region is a common occurrence, which is somewhat surprising because previously it was thought that foraging green turtles had high site fidelity with relatively small home ranges.
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52
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Dujon AM, Lindstrom RT, Hays GC. The accuracy of Fastloc‐
GPS
locations and implications for animal tracking. Methods Ecol Evol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.12286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antoine M. Dujon
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Warrnambool Vic. 3280 Australia
| | - R. Todd Lindstrom
- Wildlife Computers 8345 154th Avenue NE Redmond Washington 98052 USA
| | - Graeme C. Hays
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Deakin University Warrnambool Vic. 3280 Australia
- Department of Biosciences Swansea University Singleton Park Swansea SA2 8PP UK
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53
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Luschi P, Casale P. Movement patterns of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: a review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/11250003.2014.963714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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54
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Camedda A, Marra S, Matiddi M, Massaro G, Coppa S, Perilli A, Ruiu A, Briguglio P, de Lucia GA. Interaction between loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and marine litter in Sardinia (Western Mediterranean Sea). MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2014; 100:25-32. [PMID: 24388284 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2013.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2013] [Revised: 12/06/2013] [Accepted: 12/09/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic debris in the environment affects many species that accidentally ingest it. The aim of this study is to evaluate the quantity and composition of marine litter ingested by loggerheads in Sardinia, thus supplying for the lack of data in the existing literature for this area. Seventeen of the 121 (14.04%) monitored turtles presented debris in their digestive tracts. Litter in faecal pellet of alive individuals (n = 91) and in gastro-intestinal contents of dead ones (n = 30) was categorized, counted and weighed. User plastic was the main category of ingested debris with a frequency of occurrence of 13.22% of the total sample, while sheet (12.39%) and fragments (9.09%) were the most relevant sub-categories. This study highlights for the first time the incidence of litter in alive turtles in Sardinia. This contribution improves the knowledge about marine litter interaction on Caretta caretta as bio-indicator. Results will be useful for the Marine Strategy implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Camedda
- Institute for Coastal Marine Environment - National Research Council (IAMC-CNR), loc. Sa Mardini, 09170 Oristano, Italy; University of Tuscia, Via S.M. in Gradi 4, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
| | - Stefano Marra
- Institute for Coastal Marine Environment - National Research Council (IAMC-CNR), loc. Sa Mardini, 09170 Oristano, Italy; University of Padova, Via U. Bassi 58/b, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Matiddi
- Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, 00144 Roma, Italy
| | - Giorgio Massaro
- Marine Protected Area "Penisola del Sinis - Isola di Mal di Ventre", P.zza Eleonora 1, 09072 Cabras, Italy
| | - Stefania Coppa
- Institute for Coastal Marine Environment - National Research Council (IAMC-CNR), loc. Sa Mardini, 09170 Oristano, Italy
| | - Angelo Perilli
- Institute for Coastal Marine Environment - National Research Council (IAMC-CNR), loc. Sa Mardini, 09170 Oristano, Italy
| | - Angelo Ruiu
- Istituto Zooprofilattico della Sardegna, Via Atene - Zona Industriale, 09170 Oristano, Italy
| | - Paolo Briguglio
- Clinica Veterinaria "Duemari", Via Cagliari 313, 09170 Oristano, Italy
| | - G Andrea de Lucia
- Institute for Coastal Marine Environment - National Research Council (IAMC-CNR), loc. Sa Mardini, 09170 Oristano, Italy
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55
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Hart KM, Lamont MM, Sartain AR, Fujisaki I. Migration, foraging, and residency patterns for Northern Gulf loggerheads: implications of local threats and international movements. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103453. [PMID: 25076053 PMCID: PMC4116210 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGoM) loggerheads (Caretta caretta) make up one of the smallest subpopulations of this threatened species and have declining nest numbers. We used satellite telemetry and a switching state-space model to identify distinct foraging areas used by 59 NGoM loggerheads tagged during 2010–2013. We tagged turtles after nesting at three sites, 1 in Alabama (Gulf Shores; n = 37) and 2 in Florida (St. Joseph Peninsula; n = 20 and Eglin Air Force Base; n = 2). Peak migration time was 22 July to 9 August during which >40% of turtles were in migration mode; the mean post-nesting migration period was 23.0 d (±13.8 d SD). After displacement from nesting beaches, 44 turtles traveled to foraging sites where they remained resident throughout tracking durations. Selected foraging locations were variable distances from tagging sites, and in 5 geographic regions; no turtles selected foraging sites outside the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). Foraging sites delineated using 50% kernel density estimation were located a mean distance of 47.6 km from land and in water with mean depth of −32.5 m; other foraging sites, delineated using minimum convex polygons, were located a mean distance of 43.0 km from land and in water with a mean depth of −24.9 m. Foraging sites overlapped with known trawling activities, oil and gas extraction activities, and the footprint of surface oiling during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill (n = 10). Our results highlight the year-round use of habitats in the GoM by loggerheads that nest in the NGoM. Our findings indicate that protection of females in this subpopulation requires both international collaborations and management of threats that spatially overlap with distinct foraging habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen M. Hart
- Southeast Ecological Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Davie, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Margaret M. Lamont
- Southeast Ecological Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Autumn R. Sartain
- Scientific R&D, Support to U.S. Geological Survey Southeast Ecological Science Center, Cherokee Nation Technology, Solutions, LLC, Davie, Florida, United States of America
| | - Ikuko Fujisaki
- Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Davie, Florida, United States of America
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56
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Hatase H, Omuta K, Tsukamoto K. A mechanism that maintains alternative life histories in a loggerhead sea turtle population. Ecology 2014; 94:2583-94. [PMID: 24400510 DOI: 10.1890/12-1588.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Intrapopulation variation in habitat use is commonly seen among mobile animals, yet the mechanisms maintaining it have rarely been researched among untrackable species. To investigate how alternative life histories are maintained in a population of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), cumulative reproductive output was evaluated and compared between small planktivores inhabiting oceanic areas (with water depths > 200 m) and large benthivores inhabiting neritic areas (depths < 200 m) that sympatrically nested at Yakushima Island, Japan, from 1986 to 2011. In total, 362 nesting females sampled in three different years were classified into the two foraging groups based on stable isotope ratios in egg yolks. There were significant differences between the two foraging groups in most recorded life history parameters (clutch size, clutch frequency, breeding frequency, and remigration intervals), with the exception of emergence success. We did not find evidence of life history trade-offs, nor age-related changes in fecundity. Over the 26-year study period, we calculated a 2.4-fold greater reproductive output for neritic foragers than for oceanic ones, accounting for breeding and clutch frequency. Temporal consistencies in stable isotope ratios and remigration intervals within females suggested that female Japanese loggerheads show fidelity to respective foraging habitats throughout the adult stage. The large difference in productivity between the two groups was unlikely to be offset by the difference in survival during the period from aboveground emergence to first reproduction, suggesting that oceanic foragers have a lower level of fitness than neritic ones. Together with an absence of genetic structure between foraging groups, we infer that alternative life histories in a loggerhead turtle population are maintained by a conditional strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideo Hatase
- Atmospheric and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 2778564, Japan.
| | - Kazuyoshi Omuta
- Yakushima Sea Turtle Research Group, 489-8 Nagata, Yakushima, Kagoshima 8914201, Japan
| | - Katsumi Tsukamoto
- Atmospheric and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 2778564, Japan
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57
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Hays GC, Christensen A, Fossette S, Schofield G, Talbot J, Mariani P. Route optimisation and solving Zermelo's navigation problem during long distance migration in cross flows. Ecol Lett 2013; 17:137-43. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2013] [Revised: 09/20/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Graeme C. Hays
- Centre for Integrative Ecology; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Warrnambool Vic 3280 Australia
- Department of Biosciences; Swansea University; Swansea SA2 8PP UK
| | - Asbjørn Christensen
- Centre for Ocean Life; National Institute of Aquatic Resources; Technical University of Denmark; Jaegersborg Alle 1 2920 Charlottenlund Denmark
| | - Sabrina Fossette
- Department of Biosciences; Swansea University; Swansea SA2 8PP UK
- Environmental Research Division; SWFSC, NOAA; Pacific Grove CA 93950 USA
| | - Gail Schofield
- Centre for Integrative Ecology; School of Life and Environmental Sciences; Deakin University; Warrnambool Vic 3280 Australia
- Department of Biosciences; Swansea University; Swansea SA2 8PP UK
| | - Julian Talbot
- Laboratoire de Physique Théorique de la Matière Condensée; UPMC; CNRS UMR 7600; 4, place Jussieu 75252 Paris Cedex 05 France
| | - Patrizio Mariani
- Centre for Ocean Life; National Institute of Aquatic Resources; Technical University of Denmark; Jaegersborg Alle 1 2920 Charlottenlund Denmark
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58
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White M, Boura L, Venizelos L. Population Structure for Sea Turtles at Drini Bay: An Important Nearshore Foraging and Developmental Habitat in Albania. CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1002.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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59
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Pikesley SK, Maxwell SM, Pendoley K, Costa DP, Coyne MS, Formia A, Godley BJ, Klein W, Makanga-Bahouna J, Maruca S, Ngouessono S, Parnell RJ, Pemo-Makaya E, Witt MJ. On the front line: integrated habitat mapping for olive ridley sea turtles in the southeast Atlantic. DIVERS DISTRIB 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen K. Pikesley
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation; University of Exeter; Cornwall UK
- Environment and Sustainability Institute; University of Exeter; Cornwall UK
| | - Sara M. Maxwell
- Hopkins Marine Station; Stanford University; Pacific Grove CA USA
| | | | - Daniel P. Costa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Michael S. Coyne
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation; University of Exeter; Cornwall UK
- SEATURTLE.org; Durham NC USA
| | - Angela Formia
- Wildlife Conservation Society; Global Conservation Program; New York NY USA
| | - Brendan J. Godley
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation; University of Exeter; Cornwall UK
| | | | | | - Sheryl Maruca
- Chevron Energy Technology Company; Houston TX 77042 USA
| | | | | | | | - Matthew J. Witt
- Environment and Sustainability Institute; University of Exeter; Cornwall UK
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60
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Long-Term Tracking of Adult Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta)in the Mediterranean Sea. J HERPETOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1670/11-173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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61
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Schofield G, Dimadi A, Fossette S, Katselidis KA, Koutsoubas D, Lilley MKS, Luckman A, Pantis JD, Karagouni AD, Hays GC. Satellite tracking large numbers of individuals to infer population level dispersal and core areas for the protection of an endangered species. DIVERS DISTRIB 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gail Schofield
- Department of Biosciences; Swansea University; Singleton Park; Swansea; SA2 8PP; UK
| | - Alexandra Dimadi
- National Marine Park of Zakynthos; 1 El. Venizelou Str.; GR-29100; Zakynthos; Greece
| | | | | | | | | | - Adrian Luckman
- Department of Geography; Swansea University; Swansea; UK
| | - John D. Pantis
- Department of Ecology; School of Biology; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; UP Box 119; 54006; Thessaloniki; Greece
| | - Amalia D. Karagouni
- Department of Botany; Faculty of Biology; Microbiology Group; National Kapodistrian University of Athens; Athens; 15781; Greece
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62
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Pajuelo M, Bjorndal KA, Reich KJ, Vander Zanden HB, Hawkes LA, Bolten AB. Assignment of nesting loggerhead turtles to their foraging areas in the Northwest Atlantic using stable isotopes. Ecosphere 2012. [DOI: 10.1890/es12-00220.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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63
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Chapman JW, Klaassen RHG, Drake VA, Fossette S, Hays GC, Metcalfe JD, Reynolds AM, Reynolds DR, Alerstam T. Animal orientation strategies for movement in flows. Curr Biol 2012; 21:R861-70. [PMID: 22032194 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
For organisms that fly or swim, movement results from the combined effects of the moving medium - air or water - and the organism's own locomotion. For larger organisms, propulsion contributes significantly to progress but the flow usually still provides significant opposition or assistance, or produces lateral displacement ('drift'). Animals show a range of responses to flows, depending on the direction of the flow relative to their preferred direction, the speed of the flow relative to their own self-propelled speed, the incidence of flows in different directions and the proportion of the journey remaining. We here present a classification of responses based on the direction of the resulting movement relative to flow and preferred direction, which is applicable to a range of taxa and environments. The responses adopted in particular circumstances are related to the organisms' locomotory and sensory capacities and the environmental cues available. Advances in biologging technologies and particle tracking models are now providing a wealth of data, which often demonstrate a striking level of convergence in the strategies that very different animals living in very different environments employ when moving in a flow.
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64
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Chaieb O, Elouaer A, Maffucci F, Karaa S, Bradai MN, ElHili H, Bentivegna F, Said K, Chatti N. Population structure and dispersal patterns of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in Tunisian coastal waters, central Mediterranean. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2012. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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65
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Drosopoulou E, Tsiamis G, Mavropoulou M, Vittas S, Katselidis KA, Schofield G, Palaiologou D, Sartsidis T, Bourtzis K, Pantis J, Scouras ZG. The complete mitochondrial genome of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta (Testudines: Cheloniidae): genome description and phylogenetic considerations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 23:1-12. [PMID: 22295859 DOI: 10.3109/19401736.2011.637109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The marine turtle Caretta caretta is a widely distributed species that is facing critical population decline, especially in the Mediterranean rookeries. Molecular markers, such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences, are of great importance for the description and monitoring of turtle migratory populations. The complete sequence of the C. caretta mitochondrial genome is presented here. The genome comprises 16,440 base pairs, containing 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes), and a control region, all organized similar to the majority of vertebrate mitogenomes. MtDNA length polymorphism and heteroplasmy were observed among, and within, individuals due to the variable size of a microsatellite repeat residing at the 3' end of the control region. The use of the above repeat as a marker for individual fingerprinting is discussed. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses among Testudines based on complete mitogenomes, as well as among marine turtles based on partial mtDNA sequences, are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Drosopoulou
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece.
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66
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Gaos AR, Lewison RL, Yañez IL, Wallace BP, Liles MJ, Nichols WJ, Baquero A, Hasbún CR, Vasquez M, Urteaga J, Seminoff JA. Shifting the life-history paradigm: discovery of novel habitat use by hawksbill turtles. Biol Lett 2012; 8:54-6. [PMID: 21880620 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are typically described as open-coast, coral reef and hard substrate dwellers. Here, we report new satellite tracking data on female hawksbills from several countries in the eastern Pacific that revealed previously undocumented behaviour for adults of the species. In contrast to patterns of habitat use exhibited by their Caribbean and Indo-Pacific counterparts, eastern Pacific hawksbills generally occupied inshore estuaries, wherein they had strong associations with mangrove saltwater forests. The use of inshore habitats and affinities with mangrove saltwater forests presents a previously unknown life-history paradigm for adult hawksbill turtles and suggests a potentially unique evolutionary trajectory for the species. Our findings highlight the variability in life-history strategies that marine turtles and other wide-ranging marine wildlife may exhibit among ocean regions, and the importance of understanding such disparities from an ecological and management perspective.
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67
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Fossette S, Schofield G, Lilley MKS, Gleiss AC, Hays GC. Acceleration data reveal the energy management strategy of a marine ectotherm during reproduction. Funct Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01960.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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68
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Hawkes LA, Witt MJ, Broderick AC, Coker JW, Coyne MS, Dodd M, Frick MG, Godfrey MH, Griffin DB, Murphy SR, Murphy TM, Williams KL, Godley BJ. Home on the range: spatial ecology of loggerhead turtles in Atlantic waters of the USA. DIVERS DISTRIB 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2011.00768.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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