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Bezerra MF, Barrios-Rodriguez CA, Rezende CE, López-Castro MC, Lacerda LD. Trophic ecology of sympatric sea turtles in the tropical Atlantic coast of Brazil. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 196:106406. [PMID: 38377937 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106406] [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: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
The Tropical Atlantic coast of Brazil is a hotspot area for multiple sea turtle species at all life stages. The multiple nearshore reefs and beaches, oceanic islands, and the only atoll in the south Atlantic Ocean, are suitable for year-round foraging, migration corridors, and nesting activities of five sea turtle species. Still, relatively few studies have assessed trophic niche among sympatric sea turtles which can provide a better understanding of how closely related species compete/partition the available resources. Using multiple biogeochemical tracers (i.e., nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) stable isotopes, and mercury (Hg)), we disentangled the trophic niches of four sea turtle species - the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), the loggerhead turtle (Caretta), the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), and the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) - co-occurring in nesting and foraging habitats along the northeastern coast of Brazil. We found interspecific differences in isotopic and contamination niches, as well as intraspecific niche variation associated with life stage. Differences in the estimation niche models associated to life-stage in C. caretta support the notion of ontogenetic shift in habitat and diet composition previously reported for this species. Oceanic habitat signatures were observed in juvenile green turtles and adult olive turtles, while nearshore habitat signatures were observed in adult hawksbill turtles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moises F Bezerra
- Universidade Federal Do Ceará - Instituto de Ciências Do Mar (LABOMAR-UFC). Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
| | - Cesar A Barrios-Rodriguez
- Universidade Federal Do Ceará - Instituto de Ciências Do Mar (LABOMAR-UFC). Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Carlos E Rezende
- Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro Campos Dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Luiz D Lacerda
- Universidade Federal Do Ceará - Instituto de Ciências Do Mar (LABOMAR-UFC). Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
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Barrios-Rodríguez CA, de Lacerda LD, Fernandes-Bezerra M. A Pilot Study of Mercury Distribution in the Carapace of Four Species of Sea Turtles from Northeastern Brazil. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2023; 110:99. [PMID: 37243788 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-023-03745-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Scutes present very complex morphologies with different growth rates at different areas of the carapace that can change the accumulation process of essential and non-essential metals. To infer the effects of morphology and growth on Hg concentrations in scutes, we mapped them in the carapace of one individual of four species of sea turtles sampled along the Brazilian coast. The results showed that Hg concentrations were higher in the vertebral scutes of Chelonia mydas and Eretmochelys imbricata suggesting variation in growth rates of different carapace areas since the vertebral area is the first to develop prior to costal areas. Caretta caretta and Lepidochelys olivacea did not show differences between carapace areas. The preliminary data from this pilot study indicate that vertebral scutes may be suitable for monitoring Hg in C. mydas and E. imbricata, since they reflect longer exposure period. A species-to-species comparison of Hg concentrations is not possible due to the small number of sampled individuals, nevertheless, E. imbricata showed remarkably lower Hg concentrations compared to the other three species. Further studies are required for all four species, with a larger number of individuals, preferentially of varying life stages, due to the unknown effects of different diets, Hg exposure, and migration histories.
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Affiliation(s)
- César Augusto Barrios-Rodríguez
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Costeira, Instituto de Ciências do Mar, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Av. Abolição, 3207, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brasil.
| | - Luiz Drude de Lacerda
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Costeira, Instituto de Ciências do Mar, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Av. Abolição, 3207, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brasil
| | - Moises Fernandes-Bezerra
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Costeira, Instituto de Ciências do Mar, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Av. Abolição, 3207, Fortaleza, Ceará, 60165-081, Brasil
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Zardus JD. A Global Synthesis of the Correspondence Between Epizoic Barnacles and Their Sea Turtle Hosts. Integr Org Biol 2021; 3:obab002. [PMID: 33937627 PMCID: PMC8077887 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obab002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Barnacles that are obligate epizoites of sea turtles are not parasites in the traditional sense. However, they can impair their hosts in some instances, disqualifying the association as strictly commensal. Characterizing these interactions requires knowing which epibionts pair with which hosts, but records of barnacles from sea turtles are scattered and symbiont/host match-ups remain equivocal. The objective of this study was to collate global records on the occurrence of barnacles with sea turtles and describe each species pair quantitatively. Records reporting barnacles with sea turtles were searched spanning the last 167 years, including grey literature, and findings were enumerated for 30,580 individual turtles to evaluate prevalence. The data were summarized globally as well as subdivided across six geographic regions to assess constancy of the affiliations. Patterns of partnering were visualized by hierarchical clustering analysis of percent occurrence values for each barnacle/turtle pair and the relative selectivity of each symbiont and susceptibility of each host were evaluated. After adjusting for synonymies and taxonomic inaccuracies, the occurrence of 16 nominal species of barnacles was recorded from all 7 extant sea turtle species. Mostly, barnacles were not specific to single turtle species, partnering on average with three hosts each. Neither were barnacles entirely host-consistent among regions. Three barnacles were common to all sea turtles except leatherbacks. The most common, widespread, and least selective barnacle was Chelonibia testudinaria, the only symbiont of all turtles. Excluding single-record occurrences, the barnacle Stomatolepas transversa was the only single-host associate of any hard-shell sea turtle (the green sea turtle) and Platylepas coriacea and Stomatolepas dermochelys were exclusive associates of leatherback sea turtles. Green sea turtles were the most vulnerable to epibiosis, hosting 13 barnacle species and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were the least, hosting three. Geographically, there was an average of nine barnacle species per world region, with diversity highest in the Pacific Ocean (12 species) and lowest in the Mediterranean Sea (6 species). It is paradoxical that the flexibility of barnacles for multiple host species contrasts with their overall strict specificity for sea turtles, with each symbiont occupying a virtually unique suite of turtle hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Zardus
- Department of Biology, The Citadel, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC 29409, USA
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Agostinho KFF, Monteiro LR, Beneditto APMD. Individual niche trajectories in nesting green turtles on Rocas Atoll, Brazil: an isotopic tool to assess diet shifts over time. BIOTA NEOTROPICA 2021. [DOI: 10.1590/1676-0611-bn-2020-1099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Abstract In this study, multi-tissue (yolk and carapace) stable isotope analysis was used to assess individual isotopic niche trajectories of nesting green turtles on Rocas Atoll, off northeastern Brazil, and to reveal a diet shift in the temporal dimension. The diet trajectories of individual green turtles were highly directional, with a stronger component towards decreasing values of δ15N from carapace to yolk. When the green turtles are in their foraging sites (temporal window measured by the yolk samples), they are more herbivores. Conversely, in a broader temporal window, the green turtles demonstrate a carnivore-omnivore strategy, such as represented by heavier δ15N values in the carapace. This finding confirms a temporal diet shift. This is the first study that applies trophic niche trajectories for sea turtles, adding a new isotopic tool to understand the trophic ecology of these migrant animals.
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Monzón-Argüello C, Cardona L, Calabuig P, Camacho M, Crespo-Picazo JL, García-Párraga D, Mayans S, Luzardo OP, Orós J, Varo-Cruz N. Supplemental feeding and other anthropogenic threats to green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Canary Islands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 621:1000-1011. [PMID: 29066195 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Green turtles are found in the waters of the Canary Islands but little is known about the ecology and anthropogenic pressures that threaten them. Our results have revealed that juvenile green turtles, ranging in curve carapace length from 26.9-81.0cm, are regularly found in the archipelago and originate from rookeries in both the eastern and western Atlantic. Photo-identification and satellite tracking showed high levels of site fidelity to coastal foraging grounds associated with seagrass meadows, but stable isotope analysis indicated animal-based omnivorous diets after settlement on the continental shelf, with no increase in the consumption of macrophytes as the turtles grew. Most turtles exhibited high levels of some blood biochemical markers associated with a high consumption of proteins and fat. In addition, we determined levels of some organic and inorganic pollutants. Supplemental feeding may also contribute to explain the high prevalence of hooking and boat strikes in the green turtles brought to wildlife rescue centers as compared with loggerhead turtles. Regulatory measures and surveillance should be urgently implemented in order to improve the status of the species in the archipelago.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalina Monzón-Argüello
- EcoAqua University Institute, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Ctra. de Taliarte, s/n, 35200 Telde, Las Palmas, Spain; Asociación para el Desarrollo Sostenible y Conservación de la Biodiversidad, C/Blas de Lezo 55, 1° G, 35118 Agüimes, Las Palmas, Spain.
| | - Luis Cardona
- IRBio and Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Avda. Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pascual Calabuig
- Tafira Wildlife Rescue Center, Ctra. del Centro km 7, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain
| | - María Camacho
- Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain
| | - José Luis Crespo-Picazo
- Veterinary Services, Fundación Oceanogràfic, Ciudad de Las Artes y las Ciencias, C/ Eduardo primo Yúfera 1B, 46013, Valencia, Spain
| | - Daniel García-Párraga
- Veterinary Services, Fundación Oceanogràfic, Ciudad de Las Artes y las Ciencias, C/ Eduardo primo Yúfera 1B, 46013, Valencia, Spain
| | - Santiago Mayans
- La Tahonilla Wildlife Rescue Center, C/Las Macetas s/n, 38108 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Octavio P Luzardo
- Toxicology Unit, Research Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences (IUIBS), University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain; Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERObn), Spain
| | - Jorge Orós
- Veterinary Faculty, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña s/n, 35416 Arucas, Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Nuria Varo-Cruz
- Asociación para el Desarrollo Sostenible y Conservación de la Biodiversidad, C/Blas de Lezo 55, 1° G, 35118 Agüimes, Las Palmas, Spain
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Rees AF, Alfaro-Shigueto J, Barata PCR, Bjorndal KA, Bolten AB, Bourjea J, Broderick AC, Campbell LM, Cardona L, Carreras C, Casale P, Ceriani SA, Dutton PH, Eguchi T, Formia A, Fuentes MMPB, Fuller WJ, Girondot M, Godfrey MH, Hamann M, Hart KM, Hays GC, Hochscheid S, Kaska Y, Jensen MP, Mangel JC, Mortimer JA, Naro-Maciel E, Ng CKY, Nichols WJ, Phillott AD, Reina RD, Revuelta O, Schofield G, Seminoff JA, Shanker K, Tomás J, van de Merwe JP, Van Houtan KS, Vander Zanden HB, Wallace BP, Wedemeyer-Strombel KR, Work TM, Godley BJ. Are we working towards global research priorities for management and conservation of sea turtles? ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2016. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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