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Labastida-Estrada E, González-Cortés L, Karam-Martínez SG, Montoya-Márquez JA, Zúñiga-Marroquín T, Becerril-Morales F, Islas-Villanueva V. Influence of incubation temperature, maternal effects, and paternity on quality of olive ridley hatchlings (Lepidochelys olivacea) from a mass-nesting beach in the Mexican Pacific. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 341:563-577. [PMID: 38470019 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Future climate change scenarios project that the increase in surface temperatures will affect ocean temperatures, inducing shifts in marine biodiversity. Sea turtles are species that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change because temperature is a factor that influences embryonic development. We collected clutches of olive ridley turtles from a mass-nesting beach in the Mexican Pacific, which were incubated in ex situ conditions. When the hatchlings emerged, we measured the body condition index-which evaluates the weight-length relationship-and swim thrust, both were considered traits associated with fitness, termed "fitness proxies," and evaluated the effects of incubation temperature, maternal effects, and paternity on these fitness proxies. The body condition index was correlated positively and significantly with the arribada month and temperature during the last third of the incubation period but showed an inverse relationship with the maternal effect. While swim thrust was positively correlated with the maternal effect and the arribada month, there was an inverse relationship with incubation temperature during the first third of the period. Paternity, whether single or multiple, did not have a significant effect on either fitness proxies; however, it may have effects on the average fitness of a population of hatchlings. These results underscore the need to expand research on the sublethal effects of high incubation temperatures on the adaptation and survival of sea turtles, particularly in scenarios of rapid climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Labastida-Estrada
- División de Estudios de Posgrado, Programa de Maestría en Ciencias: Ecología Marina, Universidad del Mar campus Puerto Ángel. Ciudad Universitaria, San Pedro Pochutla, Oaxaca, México
| | - Liliana González-Cortés
- División de Estudios de Posgrado, Programa de Maestría en Ciencias: Ecología Marina, Universidad del Mar campus Puerto Ángel. Ciudad Universitaria, San Pedro Pochutla, Oaxaca, México
| | - Samantha G Karam-Martínez
- Instituto de Recursos, Universidad del Mar campus Puerto Ángel. Ciudad Universitaria, San Pedro Pochutla, Oaxaca, México
| | - José Alberto Montoya-Márquez
- Instituto de Recursos, Universidad del Mar campus Puerto Ángel. Ciudad Universitaria, San Pedro Pochutla, Oaxaca, México
| | - Tania Zúñiga-Marroquín
- Instituto de Agroingeniería, Universidad del Papaloapan campus Loma Bonita, Avenida Ferrocarril, Ciudad Universitaria, Loma Bonita, Oaxaca, México
| | - Felipe Becerril-Morales
- Instituto de Agroingeniería, Universidad del Papaloapan campus Loma Bonita, Avenida Ferrocarril, Ciudad Universitaria, Loma Bonita, Oaxaca, México
| | - Valentina Islas-Villanueva
- Instituto de Genética, CONAHCYT-Universidad del Mar campus Puerto Ángel. Ciudad Universitaria, San Pedro Pochutla, Oaxaca, México
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Rojas-Cañizales D, Restrepo J, Mejías-Balsalobre C, Barrios-Garrido H, Valverde RA. Illegal take of nesting sea turtles in Tortuguero, Costa Rica: Conservation, trade, or tradition? JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 324:116408. [PMID: 36352731 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Tortuguero, Costa Rica is considered the second largest green turtle (Chelonia mydas) rookery in the world. By 1950, Tortuguero was one of the sites with the greatest take of green turtles in the Caribbean. Currently, Tortuguero is a worldwide example for ecotourism-based on sea turtle conservation. However, illegal take of nesting turtles still occurs. We aimed to describe the illegal take at Tortuguero, estimating the minimum number of sea turtles taken using data collected during daily and weekly track surveys from 2005 to 2021. Additionally, we conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with key informants to obtain a better understanding of this activity. We documented 735 nesting turtles illegally taken at Tortuguero, being the green turtle the most affected species; these findings were also supported by our interviewees. Respondents stated that in Tortuguero the take of sea turtles has always occurred and traditions regarding sea turtle meat consumption are still present, even though it is considered shameful in the village. However, our interviewees affirmed that most of the sea turtles taken are traded to other locations away from Tortuguero. Our findings represent the minimum of illegal take (documented only at the beach), as not all the sea turtles taken were observed. Finally, despite long-standing conservation efforts carried out in Tortuguero, further changes in the National Park's management plans are needed, including more personnel and increased law enforcement. This may be necessary to reduce the impact on the Tortuguero green turtle nesting population in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Rojas-Cañizales
- Sea Turtle Conservancy, 4581 NW 6th St, Suite A, Gainesville, FL, 32609, USA; Rescue Center for Endangered Marine Species, San Francisco de Coyote, Guanacaste, 50906, Costa Rica.
| | - Jaime Restrepo
- Sea Turtle Conservancy, 4581 NW 6th St, Suite A, Gainesville, FL, 32609, USA.
| | - Carmen Mejías-Balsalobre
- Red de Investigadores Actuando por el Medio Ambiente (RIAMA), C/Nuñez de Balboa 114, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Héctor Barrios-Garrido
- Laboratorio de Ecología General, Centro de Modelado Científico, Facultad Experimental de Ciencias, La Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo, Venezuela; TropWATER, Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia; Beacon Development Company, Terrestrial Ecology and Conservation Group, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Roldán A Valverde
- Sea Turtle Conservancy, 4581 NW 6th St, Suite A, Gainesville, FL, 32609, USA; Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA, 70402, USA.
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Reavis JL, Rojas-Cañizales D, Mejías-Balsalobre C, Naranjo I, Arauz R, Senko JF. Dynamics of human take and animal predation on sea turtle nests in Northwest Costa Rica. PeerJ 2022; 10:e12925. [PMID: 35497194 PMCID: PMC9053298 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Many conservation projects relocate sea turtle eggs to hatcheries to protect the sea turtle nests from the anthropogenic and natural threats they face in the early stages of development. The Rescue Center for Endangered Marine Species (CREMA) manages four sea turtle conservation projects on the nesting beaches of the Southern Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, where the predominant nesting activity is from olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea). Two of these nesting projects are based in Costa de Oro and San Miguel, which are adjacent beaches divided by an estuary. In this study, we compared the dynamics and rates of human and animal predation of nests prior to being relocated to the hatchery on both nesting beaches from 2012 to 2018. We hypothesized that human take and animal predation were compensatory threats, meaning that lower human take may result in higher animal predation, and vice versa, resulting in a similar number of nests lost to predation overall. We discuss the community-based conservation programs on both beaches, one of which has been monitored since 1998 (San Miguel) and the other of which has been monitored since 2012 (Costa de Oro). We found that Costa de Oro exhibited high rates of human take with up to 51% of nests being extracted per season, which has decreased since the conservation project was established. Human take was significantly higher than animal predation on both beaches and human take was significantly higher in Costa de Oro. While San Miguel exhibited higher animal predation, the difference was not statistically significant. Higher depredation by animals corresponded to higher overall nest abundance on both beaches. We were unable to find evidence that human take or animal predation increased in the absence of the other threat, suggesting a lack of compensatory effects of predation. Our findings support further analysis of animal predation and a continuation of patrol-based conservation efforts as well as community outreach to attempt to merge cultural values with sea turtle conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janie L. Reavis
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America,Rescue Center for Endangered Marine Species (CREMA), San Jose, Costa Rica
| | - Daniela Rojas-Cañizales
- Rescue Center for Endangered Marine Species (CREMA), San Jose, Costa Rica,Grupo de Trabajo en Tortugas Marinas del Golfo de Venezuela (GTTM-GV), Maracaibo, Venezuela
| | - Carmen Mejías-Balsalobre
- Rescue Center for Endangered Marine Species (CREMA), San Jose, Costa Rica,Red de Investigadores Actuando por el Medio Ambiente (RIAMA), Madrid, Spain
| | - Isabel Naranjo
- Rescue Center for Endangered Marine Species (CREMA), San Jose, Costa Rica
| | - Randall Arauz
- Fins Attached Marine Research and Conservation, Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America
| | - Jesse F. Senko
- School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
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