Comparative Study of Plasma Parameters in Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys Olivacea) and Hawksbill (Eretmochelys Imbricata) During Nesting

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of plasma level parameters during nesting activity and provide data potentially useful to future studies on the dynamics of reproductive and stress hormones in the most endangered sea turtle species in the world. Plasma parameters in the sea turtles, olive ridley (Lipodochelys oliveacea) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) from Masirah Island, Oman, were analyzed relative to nesting stress. To date, no study has been conducted on plasma parameter levels in sea turtles during nesting. Field observations were conducted under ideal temperature conditions. At the time of sampling, there was no significant difference for cloacal, sand, air or water temperature for the two species. Electrolytes (Cl¯, Ca++, K+, Na+ and Mg++), cholesterol, urea, uric acid and osmolarity were measured during nesting. Both species were observed to spend between 1.5 and 2.00 hours on the nesting grounds. Some had successful oviposition and completed all nesting phases, while others with incomplete nesting phases failed to oviposit their eggs. Under both conditions, the turtles of both species had an exhaustive and stressful nesting exercise. Plasma parameter values, both intra-specifically and inter-specifically, were not significantly different for oviposited and non-oviposited turtles. This may indicate that both species have the same physiological adjustment relative to plasma parameters whether or not the turtles oviposited their eggs.

Blood analytes of hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) from Florida waters: reference intervals and size-relevant correlations

“…Despite the known occurrence of these animals in Florida, no assessment of overall health using blood analytes has occurred for this aggregation to date. Health assessments have been conducted for wildcaught hawksbills from Oman (nesting adults) (Alkindi et al, 2002), Brazil (nesting adults) (Goldberg et al, 2013), the Persian Gulf (nesting adults) (Ehsanpour et al, 2015), Australia (immature foraging) (Whiting et al, 2014), the Galápagos Archipelago (immature and adult foraging) (Muñoz-Pérez et al, 2017), Mexico (nesting adults) (Salvarani et al, 2018), Belize (immature) (Crooks et al, 2023) and in rehabilitating hawksbills from the United Arab Emirates (juvenile) (Hampel et al, 2009;Caliendo et al, 2010). Reference intervals using American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) guidelines (Friedrichs et al, 2012) have only been established for one wild-caught hawksbill population in Australia (Whiting et al, 2014); however, several other hawksbill studies report measures of central tendency and full range of values (Goldberg et al, 2013;Ehsanpour et al, 2015;Salvarani et al, 2018).…”