Lost at sea: genetic, oceanographic and meteorological evidence for storm-forced dispersal

Monzón‐Argüello, Catalina; Dell’Amico, Florence; Morinière, P.; Marco, Adolfo; López-Jurado, L. F.; Hays, Graeme C.; Scott, Rebecca; Marsh, Robert; Lee, Patricia L. M.

doi:10.1098/rsif.2011.0788

Cited by 63 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Our findings support the growing consensus that additional, possibly combined factors, such as mortality [4,5], sporadic meteorological and oceanographic events [6], and swimming and foraging behaviours [2,3] may play key roles in driving distributions and connectivity of marine populations. Studies increasingly indicate that marine animals do not randomly search out food patches, but rather follow somewhat-fixed migratory routes that coincide with typically productive oceanic regions [2,59,60].…”

Section: Palmyra and Regional Rookeriessupporting

confidence: 87%

Predicting connectivity of green turtles at Palmyra Atoll, central Pacific: a focus on mtDNA and dispersal modelling

Naro‐Maciel

Gaughran

Putman

et al. 2014

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Population connectivity and spatial distribution are fundamentally related to ecology, evolution and behaviour. Here, we combined powerful genetic analysis with simulations of particle dispersal in a high-resolution ocean circulation model to investigate the distribution of green turtles foraging at the remote Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, central Pacific. We analysed mitochondrial sequences from turtles ( n = 349) collected there over 5 years (2008–2012). Genetic analysis assigned natal origins almost exclusively (approx. 97%) to the West Central and South Central Pacific combined Regional Management Units. Further, our modelling results indicated that turtles could potentially drift from rookeries to Palmyra Atoll via surface currents along a near-Equatorial swathe traversing the Pacific. Comparing findings from genetics and modelling highlighted the complex impacts of ocean currents and behaviour on natal origins. Although the Palmyra feeding ground was highly differentiated genetically from others in the Indo-Pacific, there was no significant differentiation among years, sexes or stage-classes at the Refuge. Understanding the distribution of this foraging population advances knowledge of green turtles and contributes to effective conservation planning for this threatened species.

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Section: Palmyra and Regional Rookeriessupporting

confidence: 87%

Predicting connectivity of green turtles at Palmyra Atoll, central Pacific: a focus on mtDNA and dispersal modelling

Naro‐Maciel

Gaughran

Putman

et al. 2014

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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show abstract

“…Furthermore, we looked at the first year of drift only, because as turtles develop, their dispersal becomes less passive with increasing size and swimming strength. While assumptions of current-induced hatchling drift are reasonable, extreme weather events like large storms can displace hatchling sea turtles thousands of kilometers along aberrant dispersal routes not well sampled by surface drifter buoy data or fully represented in model simulations (Monzo´n-Argu¨ello et al 2012). With increased storm activity predicted under future climate change scenarios (Webster et al 2005), if hatchling displacements are favorable for survival, storms may play an increasing role in shaping the ontogeny of sea turtle migrations.…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ontogeny of long distance migration

Scott

Marsh

Hays

2014

Ecology

Self Cite

121

112

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Abstract. The movements of some long-distance migrants are driven by innate compass headings that they follow on their first migrations (e.g., some birds and insects), while the movements of other first-time migrants are learned by following more experienced conspecifics (e.g., baleen whales). However, the overall roles of innate, learned, and social behaviors in driving migration goals in many taxa are poorly understood. To look for evidence of whether migration routes are innate or learned for sea turtles, here for 42 sites around the world we compare the migration routes of .400 satellite-tracked adults of multiple species of sea turtle with ;45 000 Lagrangian hatchling turtle drift scenarios. In so doing, we show that the migration routes of adult turtles are strongly related to hatchling drift patterns, implying that adult migration goals are learned through their past experiences dispersing with ocean currents. The diverse migration destinations of adults consistently reflected the diversity in sites they would have encountered as drifting hatchlings. Our findings reveal how a simple mechanism, juvenile passive drift, can explain the ontogeny of some of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom and ensure that adults find suitable foraging sites.

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“…Confidence intervals (CIs) for MSA estimates are typically wide owing to inherent limitations: some locations are unavailable for sampling and there are often broadly shared haplotypes among rookeries [6,13]. Thus, considering population connectivity based on physical transport processes is probably necessary to help guide MSA interpretation [12,[14][15][16][17]. Here, the combination of oceanic dispersal simulations and genetic MSA estimates offer a substantive hypothesis regarding basin-wide population connectivity and provide unprecedented information on the distribution of young turtles during their 'lost years'.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding the ‘lost years’ in green turtles: insights from ocean circulation models and genetic analysis

Putman

Naro‐Maciel

2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Organismal movement is an essential component of ecological processes and connectivity among ecosystems. However, estimating connectivity and identifying corridors of movement are challenging in oceanic organisms such as young turtles that disperse into the open sea and remain largely unobserved during a period known as 'the lost years'. Using predictions of transport within an ocean circulation model and data from published genetic analysis, we present to our knowledge, the first basin-scale hypothesis of distribution and connectivity among major rookeries and foraging grounds (FGs) of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) during their 'lost years'. Simulations indicate that transatlantic dispersal is likely to be common and that recurrent connectivity between the southwestern Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic is possible. The predicted distribution of pelagic juvenile turtles suggests that many 'lost years hotspots' are presently unstudied and located outside protected areas. These models, therefore, provide new information on possible dispersal pathways that link nesting beaches with FGs. These pathways may be of exceptional conservation concern owing to their importance for sea turtles during a critical developmental period.

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Lost at sea: genetic, oceanographic and meteorological evidence for storm-forced dispersal

Cited by 63 publications

References 52 publications

Predicting connectivity of green turtles at Palmyra Atoll, central Pacific: a focus on mtDNA and dispersal modelling

Predicting connectivity of green turtles at Palmyra Atoll, central Pacific: a focus on mtDNA and dispersal modelling

Ontogeny of long distance migration

Finding the ‘lost years’ in green turtles: insights from ocean circulation models and genetic analysis

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