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Kim IH, Park IK, Park D, Kim MS, Cho IY, Yang D, Han DJ, Cho E, Shim WJ, Hong SH, An YR. Habitat use of loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles at the northern limit of their distribution range of the Northwest Pacific Ocean. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0290202. [PMID: 38573996 PMCID: PMC10994308 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Verifying habitats, including the foraging and nesting areas for sea turtles, enables an understanding of their spatial ecology and successful planning of their conservation and management strategies. Recently, the observation frequency and bycatch of loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles have increased in the northern limit of their distribution range, in the northern part of the East China Sea and East (Japan) Sea. We conducted satellite tracking to investigate the habitat use of seven loggerhead and eight green turtles from June 2016 to August 2022 in this area, where little is known about their spatial ecology. We applied a 50 percent volume contour method to determine their main foraging areas and analyzed 6 environmental variables to characterize their habitats. Loggerhead turtles mainly stayed in and used the East China Sea as a foraging area during the tracking period, while two individuals among them also used the East Sea as a seasonal foraging area. Most green turtles also used the East China Sea as a foraging area, near South Korea and Japan, with one individual among them using the lower area of the East Sea as a seasonal foraging area. Notably, one green turtle traveled to Hainan Island in the South China Sea, a historical nesting area. Our results showed that the two sea turtle species included the East Sea as a seasonal foraging area, possibly owing to the abundance of food sources available, despite its relatively lower sea temperature. Considering that loggerhead and green sea turtles were observed using the northern part of the East China Sea and East Sea more frequently than previously known and that the sea temperature gradually increases due to climate change, conservation and management activities are required for sea turtles in these areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Il-Hun Kim
- Department of Ecology and Conservation, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Il-Kook Park
- Division of Science Education, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Daesik Park
- Division of Science Education, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Min-Seop Kim
- Department of Ecology and Conservation, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea
| | - In-Young Cho
- Department of Ecology and Conservation, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongwoo Yang
- Department of Ecology and Conservation, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Jin Han
- Aqua Team, Aqua Planet Yeosu, Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunvit Cho
- Aqua Team, Aqua Planet Yeosu, Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Won Joon Shim
- Ecological Risk Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Hee Hong
- Ecological Risk Research Department, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea
- Department of Ocean Science, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Rock An
- Department of Ecology and Conservation, National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, Seocheon, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea
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Matsuzawa Y, Kamezaki N, Ishihara T, Omuta K, Takeshita H, Goto K, Arata T, Honda H, Kameda K, Kashima Y, Kayo M, Kawazu I, Kodama J, Kumazawa Y, Kuroyanagi K, Mizobuchi K, Mizuno K, Oki K, Watanabe KK, Yamamoto A, Yamashita Y, Yamato T, Hamabata T, Ishizaki A, Dutton PH. Fine-scale genetic population structure of loggerhead turtles in the Northwest Pacific. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2016. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Nishizawa H, Narazaki T, Fukuoka T, Sato K, Hamabata T, Kinoshita M, Arai N. Genetic composition of loggerhead turtle feeding aggregations: migration patterns in the North Pacific. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2014. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Kawazu I, Maeda K, Kino M, Oka SI. Structure of the Loggerhead Turtle Assemblage in Okinawan Waters Estimated from Variation in Body Size and Blood Profile. CURRENT HERPETOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.5358/hsj.32.190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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