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Barbour N, Bailey H, Fagan WF, Mustin W, Baboolal V, Casella F, Candela T, Gaspar P, Williamson S, Turla E, Shillinger GL. Satellite Tracking of Head-Started Juvenile Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) Reveals Release Effects and an Ontogenetic Shift. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13071218. [PMID: 37048474 PMCID: PMC10093175 DOI: 10.3390/ani13071218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Juveniles of marine species, such as sea turtles, are often understudied in movement ecology. To determine dispersal patterns and release effects, we released 40 satellite-tagged juvenile head-started green turtles (Chelonia mydas, 1–4 years) from two separate locations (January and July 2023) off the coast of the Cayman Islands. A statistical model and vector plots were used to determine drivers of turtle directional swimming persistence and the role of ocean current direction. More than half (N = 22) effectively dispersed in 6–22 days from the islands to surrounding areas. The January turtles radiated out (185–1138 km) in distinct directions in contrast to the northward dispersal of the July turtles (27–396 km). Statistical results and vector plots supported that daily swimming persistence increased towards the end of tracks and near coastal regions, with turtles largely swimming in opposition to ocean currents. These results demonstrate that captive-reared juvenile greens have the ability to successfully navigate towards key coastal developmental habitats. Differences in dispersal (January vs. July) further support the importance of release timing and location. Our results inform conservation of the recovering Caymanian green turtles and we advise on how our methods can be improved and modified for future sea turtle and juvenile movement ecology studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Barbour
- Department of Environmental Biology, SUNY College of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, MD 20688, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Upwell, Monterey, CA 93940, USA
| | - Helen Bailey
- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, MD 20688, USA
| | - William F. Fagan
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Walter Mustin
- Cayman Turtle Conservation and Education Centre, Grand Cayman 1303, Cayman Islands
| | - Vandanaa Baboolal
- Cayman Turtle Conservation and Education Centre, Grand Cayman 1303, Cayman Islands
| | - Francesca Casella
- Cayman Turtle Conservation and Education Centre, Grand Cayman 1303, Cayman Islands
| | - Tony Candela
- Upwell, Monterey, CA 93940, USA
- Mercator Ocean International, 31400 Toulouse, France
| | | | - Sean Williamson
- Upwell, Monterey, CA 93940, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton 3800, Australia
- FAU Marine Science Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
| | - Emily Turla
- FAU Marine Science Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA
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Gunner RM, Wilson RP, Holton MD, Scott R, Arkwright A, Fahlman A, Ulrich M, Hopkins P, Duarte C, Eizaguirre C. Activity of loggerhead turtles during the U-shaped dive: insights using angular velocity metrics. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2021. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the behavioural ecology of endangered taxa can inform conservation strategies. The activity budgets of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta are still poorly understood because many tracking methods show only horizontal displacement and ignore dives and associated behaviours. However, time-depth recorders have enabled researchers to identify flat, U-shaped dives (or type 1a dives) and these are conventionally labelled as resting dives on the seabed because they involve no vertical displacement of the animal. Video- and acceleration-based studies have demonstrated this is not always true. Focusing on sea turtles nesting on the Cabo Verde archipelago, we describe a new metric derived from magnetometer data, absolute angular velocity, that integrates indices of angular rotation in the horizontal plane to infer activity. Using this metric, we evaluated the variation in putative resting behaviours during the bottom phase of type 1a dives for 5 individuals over 13 to 17 d at sea during a single inter-nesting interval (over 75 turtle d in total). We defined absolute resting within the bottom phase of type 1a dives as periods with no discernible acceleration or angular movement. Whilst absolute resting constituted a significant proportion of each turtle’s time budget for this 1a dive type, turtles allocated 16-38% of their bottom time to activity, with many dives being episodic, comprised of intermittent bouts of rest and rotational activity. This implies that previously considered resting behaviours are complex and need to be accounted for in energy budgets, particularly since energy budgets may impact conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- RM Gunner
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - RP Wilson
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - MD Holton
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - R Scott
- GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel, Germany
- Natural Environmental Research Council, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1FL, UK
| | - A Arkwright
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
- L’Oceanogràfic, Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciències, Carrer d’Eduardo Primo Yúfera, 1B, 46013 Valencia, Spain
| | - A Fahlman
- L’Oceanogràfic, Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciències, Carrer d’Eduardo Primo Yúfera, 1B, 46013 Valencia, Spain
| | - M Ulrich
- Institutionen för fysik kemi och biologi (IFM), Linköping Universitet, Olaus Magnus väg, 583 30 Linköping, Sweden
| | - P Hopkins
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - C Duarte
- Red Sea Research Centre, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
| | - C Eizaguirre
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E35SA, UK
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Seminoff JA, Whitman ER, Wallace BP, Bayless A, Resendiz A, Jones TT. No rest for the weary: restricted resting behaviour of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at a deep-neritic foraging area influences expression of life history traits. J NAT HIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1887387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Elizabeth R. Whitman
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, USA
| | - Bryan P. Wallace
- Ecolibrium, Inc., Boulder, CO, USA
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Marine Lab, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - Ali Bayless
- Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
- NOAA-Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | | | - T. Todd Jones
- NOAA-Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI, USA
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Okuyama J, Benson SR, Dutton PH, Seminoff JA. Changes in dive patterns of leatherback turtles with sea surface temperature and potential foraging habitats. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Junichi Okuyama
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration La Jolla California92037USA
| | - Scott R. Benson
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Moss Landing California95039USA
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Moss Landing California95039USA
| | - Peter H. Dutton
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration La Jolla California92037USA
| | - Jeffrey A. Seminoff
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration La Jolla California92037USA
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Archibald DW, James MC. Prevalence of visible injuries to leatherback sea turtles Dermochelys coriacea in the Northwest Atlantic. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2018. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [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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Wallace BP, Zolkewitz M, James MC. Discrete, high-latitude foraging areas are important to energy budgets and population dynamics of migratory leatherback turtles. Sci Rep 2018; 8:11017. [PMID: 30030495 PMCID: PMC6054646 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-29106-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Many broadly distributed migratory species exhibit fidelity to fine-scale areas that support vital life history requirements (e.g., resource acquisition, reproduction). Thus, such areas are critical for population dynamics and are of high conservation priority. Leatherback sea turtles are among the world's most widely distributed species, and their breeding and feeding areas are typically separated by thousands of kilometres. In this study, we analysed turtle-borne video data on daytime feeding rates and energy acquisition in Nova Scotia, Canada, to quantify the importance of this discrete, seasonal foraging area for leatherback energy requirements. Based on daytime foraging only, we estimate that a single foraging season in Nova Scotia could support 59% of a non-breeding leatherback's annual energy budget, and 29% of energetic requirements for a female on a typical 2-year reproductive cycle. However, maximum energy intake rates for leatherbacks are nearly four times lower than those of mammals and birds due the low energy content of leatherbacks' gelatinous zooplankton prey. These results illustrate that high quality, local-scale foraging areas such as Nova Scotia are critically important to the stability and future growth of the leatherback population in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Thus, as with other migratory species, efforts to reduce threats and maintain habitat quality in such areas should be high conservation priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan P Wallace
- Conservation Science Partners, Inc., 5 Old Town Square, Suite 205, Fort Collins, CO, 80524, USA. .,Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA.
| | | | - Michael C James
- Population Ecology Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 4A2, Canada
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Pate JH, Salmon M. Ontogenetic Niches and the Development of Body Shape in Juvenile Sea Turtles. CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1274.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica H. Pate
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida 33431-0991 USA[]
| | - Michael Salmon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida 33431-0991 USA[]
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Davenport J. Crying a river: how much salt-laden jelly can a leatherback turtle really eat? J Exp Biol 2017; 220:1737-1744. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.155150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are capital breeders that accumulate blubber (33 kJ g wet mass−1) by hyperphagia on a gelatinous diet at high latitudes; they breed in the tropics. A jellyfish diet is energy-poor (0.1–0.2 kJ g wet mass−1), so leatherbacks must ingest large quantities. Two published estimates of feeding rate (50% body mass d−1 (on Rhizostoma pulmo), 73% body mass d−1 (on Cyanea capillata)) have been criticised as too high. Jellyfish have high salt and water contents that must be removed to access organic material and energy. Most salt is removed (as NaCl) by paired lachrymal salt glands. Divalent ions are lost via the gut. In this study the size of adult salt glands (0.622 kg for a 450kg turtle; relatively 3 times the size of salt glands in cheloniid turtles) is measured for the first time by CT scanning. Various published values for leatherback field metabolic rate (FMR), body fluid composition and likely blubber accumulation rates are combined with known jellyfish salt, water and organic compositions to calculate feasible salt gland secretion rates and feeding rates. The results indicate that leatherbacks can produce about 10–15 ml secretion g salt gland mass−1 h−1 (tear osmolality 1800 mOsm kg−1). This will permit consumption of 80 % body mass d−1 of Cyanea capillata. Calculations suggest that leatherbacks will find it difficult/impossible to accumulate sufficient blubber for reproduction in a single feeding season. Rapid jellyfish digestion and short gut transit times are essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Davenport
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, North Mall Campus, Distillery Fields, Cork, Ireland
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Kedzuf S, Salmon M. Do Marine Turtles Use Odors to Locate Foraging Hotspots in the Open Ocean? CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1183.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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