Effects of El Niño-driven environmental variability on black turtle migration to Peruvian foraging grounds

Quiñónes, Javier; Carman, Victoria González; Zeballos, Jorge; Purca, Sara; Mianzán, Hermes

doi:10.1007/s10750-010-0225-8

Cited by 51 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In general, sea turtles fast during the internesting period due to the lack of food availability in the breeding areas (Hays et al 2000), but some populations do feed during the nesting season (Hochscheid et al 1999;Tucker & Read 2001). Even though there was no seagrass and few algae were present on the bottom in the area near the nesting beach (Reina et al 2005;Bernecker & Wehrtmann 2009), our green turtles could have been consuming invertebrates (Amorocho & Reina 2007;Quiñones et al 2010). As a result, and because we could not observe turtles in the water, we cannot rule out foraging behavior.…”

Section: Diving Behaviormentioning

confidence: 98%

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Movements and diving behavior of internesting green turtles along Pacific Costa Rica

Blanco

Morreale

Seminoff

et al. 2012

Integrative Zoology

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Using satellite transmitters, we determined the internesting movements, spatial ecology and diving behavior of East Pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nesting on Nombre de Jesús and Zapotillal beaches along the Pacific coast of northwestern Costa Rica. Kernel density analysis indicated that turtles spent most of their time in a particularly small area in the vicinity of the nesting beaches (50% utilization distribution was an area of 3 km(2) ). Minimum daily distance traveled during a 12 day internesting period was 4.6 ± 3.5 km. Dives were short and primarily occupied the upper 10 m of the water column. Turtles spent most of their time resting at the surface and conducting U-dives (ranging from 60 to 81% of the total tracking time involved in those activities). Turtles showed a strong diel pattern, U-dives mainly took place during the day and turtles spent a large amount of time resting at the surface at night. The lack of long-distance movements demonstrated that this area was heavily utilized by turtles during the nesting season and, therefore, was a crucial location for conservation of this highly endangered green turtle population. The unique behavior of these turtles in resting at the surface at night might make them particularly vulnerable to fishing activities near the nesting beaches.

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Section: Diving Behaviormentioning

confidence: 98%

“…East Pacific green turtles are present from San Diego Bay to Peru (Green 1984;Quiñones et al 2010). Little is known about green turtle breeding populations in the eastern Pacific.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movements and diving behavior of internesting green turtles along Pacific Costa Rica

Blanco

Morreale

Seminoff

et al. 2012

Integrative Zoology

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“…Each replicate is a unique combination of species, life history stage, date and location and is therefore analysed separately within the model. The sample size of the studies ranged from a minimum of seven turtles (Seminoff et al, 2002a) to a maximum of 192 turtles (Quinones et al, 2010). The debris levels for the replicates incorporated in the model covered a wide spread of the predicted global debris levels (Fig.…”

Section: Consequence (Necropsy Data)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk analysis reveals global hotspots for marine debris ingestion by sea turtles

Schuyler

Wilcox

Townsend

et al. 2015

Global Change Biology

163

103

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30Plastic marine debris pollution is rapidly becoming one of the critical environmental 31 concerns facing wildlife in the 21 st century. Here we present a risk analysis for plastic 32 ingestion by sea turtles on a global scale. We combined global debris distributions 33 based on ocean drifter data with sea turtle habitat maps to predict exposure levels to 34 debris. Empirical data from necropsies of deceased animals were then utilised to 35 assess the consequence of exposure to plastics. We modelled the risk (probability of 36 debris ingestion) by incorporating exposure and consequence, and included life 37 history stage, species of turtle, and date of stranding observation as possible additional 38 explanatory factors. Life history stage is the best predictor of debris ingestion, but the 39 best-fit model also incorporates encounter rates within a limited distance from 40 stranding location, debris predictions specific to the date of the stranding study, and 41 species. There was no difference in ingestion rates between stranded animals vs.

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“…Even terrestrial plant material, especially mangrove leaves and propagules (or seeds), can feature prominently in green turtle diets (Arthur et al 2009;Limpus and Limpus 2000;Nagaoka et al 2012). Contrary to the long-held belief that green turtles are strictly herbivorous, however, animal matter ranging from accidentally ingested small hydrozoans and bryozoans that encrust plant material to purposefully consumed sponges (Mortimer 1981) and significant amounts of gelatinous macrozooplankton (e.g., Amorocho and Reina 2007;Burkholder et al 2011;Fukuoka et al 2019;González Carman et al 2014;Quiñones et al 2010) have been reported in the diet of both juvenile and adult green turtles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green turtle diet is dominated by seagrass in the Western Indian Ocean except amongst gravid females

et al. 2019

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Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are key herbivores of tropical and subtropical neritic habitats and play a major role in structuring seagrass meadows. We present the first detailed assessment of green turtle diet in the Western Indian Ocean using the gut contents of salvaged animals from three atolls in the Republic of Seychelles separated from each other by 400-825 km: Cosmoledo (adults, n = 12), Farquhar (adults, n = 33; immature, n = 1) collected in 1982-1983; and Desroches (immatures, n = 8) in 2016-2018. We report the first comparison of the diets of gravid females (n = 17), males (n = 26) and non-breeding females (n = 2) at sites providing both foraging and breeding habitat. Seagrass (mostly Thalassodendron ciliatum) dominated the diet, accounting for 95% of the mean gut content biomass for males and non-breeding females but only 58% for gravid females, alongside relatively large amounts of substrate (14%) and macroalgae (13%). Satellite tracking of post-nesting green turtles from Chagos Archipelago in 2016 located foraging sites at Farquhar Atoll that coincided with capture locations of 26 of the 33 adult turtles sampled there in 1983. In situ surveys of those sites in 2018 revealed extensive nearly monospecific beds of T. ciliatum. The prominence of seagrass in the diet of green turtles and connectivity between foraging and nesting habitats throughout the region illustrate the need to conserve and monitor seagrass habitats of the Western Indian Ocean especially in the context of changing green turtle population densities.

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Effects of El Niño-driven environmental variability on black turtle migration to Peruvian foraging grounds

Abstract: We analyzed sea temperature as an environmental factor, in association with ENSO, affecting

Cited by 51 publications

References 36 publications

Movements and diving behavior of internesting green turtles along Pacific Costa Rica

Movements and diving behavior of internesting green turtles along Pacific Costa Rica

Risk analysis reveals global hotspots for marine debris ingestion by sea turtles

Green turtle diet is dominated by seagrass in the Western Indian Ocean except amongst gravid females

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