Niche partitioning between sea turtles in waters of a protected tropical island

Martins, Rebeka F.; Andrades, Ryan; Nagaoka, Shany M.; Martins, Agnaldo Silva; Longo, Leila L.; Ferreira, Juliana Santos; Bastos, Kathiani Victor; Joyeux, Jean‐Christophe; Santos, Robson G.

doi:10.1016/j.rsma.2020.101439

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Patterns of fidelity can be explained by habitat quality, which include optimal temperature and prey availability (Metz et al 2020 ). Chelonia mydas is essentially herbivorous but may opportunistically feed on jellyfish, fishes and molluscs (Awabdi et al 2013 ; Di Beneditto et al 2017 ), while the diet of E. imbricata may include sessile invertebrates, such as sponges, corals and zoanthids (Berube et al 2012 ; Martins et al 2020 ). Arraial do Cabo sustains a high abundance of macroalgae (Brasileiro et al 2009 ) and a rich benthic community (Ferreira et al 1998 ; Rogers et al 2014 ; Aued et al 2018 ), with both tropical and warm-temperate affinity components.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photo-identification shows the spatio-temporal distribution of two sea turtle species in a Brazilian developmental foraging ground

2023

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Sea turtles spend most of their life cycle in foraging grounds. Research in developmental habitats is crucial to understanding individual dynamics and to support conservation strategies. One approach to gather information in foraging grounds is the use of cost-effective and non-invasive techniques that allow public participation. The present study aimed to use photographic-identification (photo-ID) to investigate the spatio-temporal distribution of Chelonia mydas and Eretmochelys imbricata . Furthermore, we describe fibropapillomatosis occurrence. This work was carried out at subtropical rocky reefs of the Brazilian coast in Arraial do Cabo (22°57ʹS, 42°01ʹW), within a sustainable conservation unit. A total of 641 images were obtained through social media screening (n = 447), citizen science (n = 168), or intentional capture (n = 26) dated between 2006 and 2021. Additionally, 19 diving forms (between 2019 and 2021) were received from citizen scientists. All diving forms presented at least one turtle. Photo-ID identified 174 individuals of C. mydas , with 45 being resighted, while E. imbricata had 32 individuals, with 7 individuals resighted. The median interval between the first and last individual sighting was 1.7 years for C. mydas and 2.4 years for E. imbricata . Fibropapillomatosis was only observed in C. mydas , with a prevalence of 13.99% (20 of 143 individuals) and regression in 2 individuals (10.00%). Our results indicated that Arraial do Cabo is an important development area with individuals residing for at least 6 years. This study demonstrated that social media, along with photo-ID, can be useful to provide sea turtle estimates in a foraging ground using a non-invasive, low-cost method. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00227-023-04226-z.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photo-identification shows the spatio-temporal distribution of two sea turtle species in a Brazilian developmental foraging ground

2023

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Keystone species are recognised as playing an essential role in the form, function, and overall structural complexity of the ecosystem in which they live [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Sea turtles are known to modify their landscape through the way they feed [5]. Based on the classification, this makes the sea turtle an ecosystem engineer [7], as their feeding habits allow for coral to flourish by scavenging on coral competitors [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sea turtles are known to modify their landscape through the way they feed [5]. Based on the classification, this makes the sea turtle an ecosystem engineer [7], as their feeding habits allow for coral to flourish by scavenging on coral competitors [5]. Sea turtles are essential not only to the ecosystem, but also for ecotourism [8], with large numbers of tourists visiting tropical locations around the world for the chance to swim with a wild sea turtle.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Employing Robotics for the Biomechanical Validation of a Prosthetic Flipper for Sea Turtles as a Substitute for Animal Clinical Trials

van der Geest,

Garcia

2023

Biomechanics

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Sea turtles are a keystone species for the ocean’s ecosystem, with all species currently being listed as endangered. Such a threat is mainly due to human factors such as fishing net entanglement. This entanglement often comes at the expense of turtles losing a pectoral flipper. The reduction in a sea turtle’s survival odds upon losing a flipper is a significant concern. This issue extends beyond individual animals, as the potential extinction of sea turtles could have detrimental effects on ocean health and subsequently disrupt our lifestyles. In this work, with the help of robotics, we tested the suitability of a prosthetic flipper for sea turtles that have lost a flipper. Testing with our sea-turtle-inspired robot helped to demonstrate the prosthetic flipper’s performance without clinical trials in live animals. The robot showed that the prosthetic could closely mimic the sea turtle’s downstroke and upstroke, allowing the animal to regain control in roll, pitch, and yaw, despite the absence of anatomical joints and related muscles. Additionally, swim speed tests provided an average swim speed of 0.487 m/s while dragging 6 m of cable to give a calculated maximum swim speed of 0.618 m/s, coming close to the average swim speed of wild sea turtles of 0.6 m/s. Our aspiration is that the findings from this study will pave the way for an open-source implant design, empowering veterinary professionals globally to aid injured turtles. Furthermore, this research promises to inspire additional animal-based robotic designs, advancing technologies geared towards assisting other animals in distress.

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“…Previous studies have used a variety of methods to characterize specific aspects of coexisting marine turtle species' ecological niches. Satellite telemetry coupled with ecological niche modeling has been used to investigate spatial niches (DiMatteo et al., 2022 ; Fujisaki et al., 2020 ; Hart et al., 2018 ), and dietary analyses via gastric lavages (Martins et al., 2020 ) or gut content analysis (Palmer et al., 2021 ; Stringell et al., 2016 ) have been employed to characterize trophic niches. However, these approaches can be limiting since they portray only the spatial niche (i.e., habitat use) or the trophic niche (i.e., diet) of a species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic niche overlap among foraging marine turtle species in the Gulf of Mexico

Weber,

Cullen,

Fuentes

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Sympatric species may overlap in their use of habitat and dietary resources, which can increase competition. Comparing the ecological niches and quantifying the degree of niche overlap among these species can provide insights into the extent of resource overlap. This information can be used to guide multispecies management approaches tailored to protect priority habitats that offer the most resources for multiple species. Stable isotope analysis is a valuable tool used to investigate spatial and trophic niches, though few studies have employed this method for comparisons among sympatric marine turtle species. For this study, stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope values from epidermis tissue were used to quantify isotopic overlap and compare isotopic niche size in loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), and Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) turtles sampled from a shared foraging area located offshore of Crystal River, Florida, USA. Overall, the results revealed high degrees of isotopic overlap (>68%) among species, particularly between loggerhead and Kemp's ridley turtles (85 to 91%), which indicates there may be interspecific competition for resources. Samples from green turtles had the widest range of isotopic values, indicating they exhibit higher variability in diet and habitat type. Samples from loggerhead turtles had the most enriched mean δ34S, suggesting they may forage in slightly different micro‐environments compared with the other species. Finally, samples from Kemp's ridley turtles exhibited the smallest niche size, which is indicative of a narrower use of resources. This is one of the first studies to investigate resource use in a multispecies foraging aggregation of marine turtles using three isotopic tracers. These findings provide a foundation for future research into the foraging ecology of sympatric marine turtle species and can be used to inform effective multispecies management efforts.

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Niche partitioning between sea turtles in waters of a protected tropical island

Cited by 8 publications

References 42 publications

Photo-identification shows the spatio-temporal distribution of two sea turtle species in a Brazilian developmental foraging ground

Photo-identification shows the spatio-temporal distribution of two sea turtle species in a Brazilian developmental foraging ground

Employing Robotics for the Biomechanical Validation of a Prosthetic Flipper for Sea Turtles as a Substitute for Animal Clinical Trials

Isotopic niche overlap among foraging marine turtle species in the Gulf of Mexico

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