Annual variation in nesting numbers of marine turtles: the effect of sea surface temperature on re-migration intervals
نویسندگان
چکیده
Andrew R. Solow,* Karen A. Bjorndal and Alan B. Bolten Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA *Correspondence: E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The assessment of marine turtle populations is complicated by large inter-annual variations in nesting numbers. This variability has been attributed to synchrony in the re-migration intervals (i.e., intervals between successive nesting years) of individuals. It has been hypothesized that this synchrony arises from environmental variations that affect the feeding conditions at sea. This paper presents the first direct test of this hypothesis. The analysis identifies a significant effect of sea surface temperature on the re-migration interval in the largest Atlantic population of green turtles.
منابع مشابه
The implications of variable remigration intervals for the assessment of population size in marine turtles.
Sea turtles nest on sandy beaches and tend to show high fidelity to specific nesting areas, but, despite this fidelity, the inter-annual variation in nesting numbers may be large. This variation may reflect the fact that turtles do not usually nest in consecutive years. Here, theoretical models are developed in which the interval between successive nesting years (the remigration interval) refle...
متن کاملEvaluation of hematological and plasma biochemical parameters in green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758) from nesting colonies of the northern coast the Sea of Oman
The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) has been a species of global concern for decades. As an attempt to study health status of nesting green turtles, Blood biochemistry and hematological values were obtained from 18 clinically normal, nesting female green sea turtles on the northern coast of the sea of Oman. Mean curved carapace length (CCL) was 111±4 cm with a range of 103—122 cm. Barnacles were ...
متن کاملTrophic status drives interannual variability in nesting numbers of marine turtles.
Large annual fluctuations are seen in breeding numbers in many populations of non-annual breeders. We examined the interannual variation in nesting numbers of populations of green (Chelonia mydas) (n = 16 populations), loggerhead (Caretta caretta) (n = 10 populations), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) (n = 9 populations) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) (n = 10 populations). Int...
متن کاملMetallothionein biosynthesis as a detoxification mechanism of heavy metals (Hg,Cd,Pb,Cu,Zn) in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas)
In this study, heavy metals (Hg,Cd,Pb,Cu,Zn) and metallothionein (MT) biosynthesis were measured in blood of green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting on the northern coast of the Sea of Oman. Heavy metals concentrations in the sea water, the sediments, the blood samples ranged between 0.02-8.43 μg/l, 0.06-10.32 μg/l, and 0.16-36.78μg/g (ww), respectively.The highest concentration...
متن کاملNesting Phenology of Marine Turtles: Insights from a Regional Comparative Analysis on Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Changes in phenology, the timing of seasonal activities, are among the most frequently observed responses to environmental disturbances and in marine species are known to occur in response to climate changes that directly affects ocean temperature, biogeochemical composition and sea level. We examined nesting seasonality data from long-term studies at 8 green turtle (Chelonia mydas) rookeries t...
متن کامل