Environmental and Biological Factors Influencing Dispersal of Neonate Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) From an Endangered Costa Rican Nesting Population

Barbour, Nicole; Shillinger, George L.; Hoover, Aimee L.; Williamson, Sean A.; Coles, Victoria J.; Liang, Dong; Fagan, William F.; Bailey, Helen

doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.582933

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…None of our ex situ experimental treatments had any detectable impact on hatchling performance or morphology. Likewise, incubation treatment had no detectable effect on hatchling dispersal, measured as overground speed and bearing, with all hatchlings moving in an east–south–easterly bearing (mean = 112.3°) with an overall mean overground speed of 0.41 m/s, which is congruent with observations from other studies of hatchling dispersal from this population (Barbour et al, 2020; Hoover et al, 2020). Similarly, there was no detectable impact on the morphology of olive ridley hatchlings that were incubated in hypoxia for 3 days, except that they had a greater mass than those incubated in normoxia (Williamson et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Effects of postovipositional hypoxia and hyperoxia on leatherback turtle reproductive success and hatchling performance

Williamson,

Hoover,

Evans

et al. 2023

J Exp Zool Pt A

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Leatherback egg clutches typically experience lower hatching success (~50%) than those of other sea turtle species (>70%). The majority of embryonic death (>50%) occurs at early stages of development, possibly because embryos fail to break preovipositional embryonic arrest after oviposition. The embryonic arrest is maintained by hypoxia in the oviduct and following oviposition increased availability of oxygen is the trigger that breaks arrest in all turtle species studied to date. We conducted an ex situ incubator experiment and an in situ hatchery experiment to examine the influence of oxygen availability on hatching success and hatchling traits in leatherbacks. After oviposition, eggs (n = 1005) were incubated in either normoxia (21% O2), hyperoxia (32%–42% O2) for 5 days, or hypoxia (1% O2) for 3 or 5 days. As with other turtles, hypoxic incubation maintained embryos in arrest, equivalent to the time spent in hypoxia. However, extending arrest for 5 days resulted in greater early‐stage death and a significant decrease in hatching success (4% 5‐day hypoxia vs. 72% normoxia). Eggs placed in incubators had greater hatching success than those placed into hatchery nests (67% vs. 47%, respectively). We found no impact of hyperoxia on the stage of embryonic death, hatching success, hatchling phenotype, exercise performance, or early dispersal. Our findings indicate that delayed nesting and the subsequent extension of embryonic arrest may negatively impact embryonic development and therefore the reproductive success of leatherbacks. They also indicate that incubation under hyperoxic conditions is unlikely to be a useful method to improve hatching success in this species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Effects of postovipositional hypoxia and hyperoxia on leatherback turtle reproductive success and hatchling performance

Williamson,

Hoover,

Evans

et al. 2023

J Exp Zool Pt A

Self Cite

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“…It is possible that turtles originating from Costa Rica and elsewhere in the main Caribbean basin may become trapped in the circulation of smaller gyres (Figure 1 ; Luke et al, 2004 ). Post‐hatchling turtles from Tortuguero, for example, could develop within the Caribbean and be transported toward Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Cuba via these small gyres (Blumenthal et al, 2009 ), and then subsequently recruit to the Great Inagua foraging assemblage as juveniles (Figure 1 ; Barbour et al, 2020 ; Jensen et al, 2016 ). Juvenile green turtles are known to forage within the Caribbean (Bass et al, 1998 ; Campbell & Lagueux, 2005 ), and it is possible that some develop within the Caribbean, feeding within sargassum mats trapped within these gyres (Troeng et al, 2005 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Origins of juvenile green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Bahamas: A comparison of recent and historical rookery contributions

Fuentes

Dutton

LaCasella

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Conservation of green sea turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) benefits from knowledge of population connectivity across life stages. Green turtles are managed at the level of genetically discrete rookeries, yet individuals from different rookeries mix at foraging grounds; therefore, rookeries may be impacted by processes at foraging grounds. Bimini, Bahamas, hosts an important foraging assemblage, but rookery contributions to this assemblage have never been resolved. We generated mitochondrial DNA sequences for 96 foraging green turtles from Bimini and used Mixed Stock Analysis to determine rookery contributions to this population using 817 and 490 base pair (bp) rookery baseline data. The MSA conducted with 817 bp data indicated that Quintana Roo, Mexico, and Central Eastern Florida contributed most to the Bimini population. The MSA conducted with 490 bp data indicated that Southwest Cuba and Central Eastern Florida contributed the most to Bimini. The results of the second MSA differ from a previous study undertaken with 490 bp data, conducted in Great Inagua, Bahamas, which suggested that Tortuguero, Costa Rica, contributed the most to that foraging assemblage. Large credible intervals in our results do not permit explicit interpretation of individual rookery contributions, but our results do indicate substantial relative differences in rookery contributions to two Bahamian foraging assemblages which may be driven by oceanic currents, rookery sizes, and possibly juvenile natal homing. Our findings may implicate a shift in contributions to the Bahamas over two decades, highlighting the importance of regularly monitoring rookery contributions and resolving regional recruitment patterns to inform conservation.

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“…With the smallest transmitters weighing just under 0.4 g (Thums et al, 2013;Whoriskey and Hindell, 2016), acoustic telemetry offers a novel approach to gain in situ insights into the factors affecting nearshore marine turtle hatchling dispersal. It has been used to monitor movements of hatchlings to study the influence of oceanic conditions (Scott et al, 2014;Thums et al, 2016;Wilson et al, 2018;Barbour et al, 2020;Hoover et al, 2020), artificial light (Thums et al, 2013(Thums et al, , 2016Wilson et al, 2018Wilson et al, , 2019, swimming speed and fitness (Scott et al, 2014;Barbour et al, 2020), and predation (Wilson et al, 2019) on dispersal patterns. These studies have found that while hatchlings exhibit active, directed swimming, oceanic conditions and anthropogenic factors (e.g., artificial lights, increased predation due to jetties) greatly affect their trajectories (Thums et al, 2013(Thums et al, , 2016Scott et al, 2014;Wilson et al, 2018;Barbour et al, 2020;Hoover et al, 2020), which has important implications for dispersal patterns, especially when considering the short-and long-term variability of oceanic conditions (Scott et al, 2014;Barbour et al, 2020).…”

Section: Hatchling Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been used to monitor movements of hatchlings to study the influence of oceanic conditions (Scott et al, 2014;Thums et al, 2016;Wilson et al, 2018;Barbour et al, 2020;Hoover et al, 2020), artificial light (Thums et al, 2013(Thums et al, , 2016Wilson et al, 2018Wilson et al, , 2019, swimming speed and fitness (Scott et al, 2014;Barbour et al, 2020), and predation (Wilson et al, 2019) on dispersal patterns. These studies have found that while hatchlings exhibit active, directed swimming, oceanic conditions and anthropogenic factors (e.g., artificial lights, increased predation due to jetties) greatly affect their trajectories (Thums et al, 2013(Thums et al, , 2016Scott et al, 2014;Wilson et al, 2018;Barbour et al, 2020;Hoover et al, 2020), which has important implications for dispersal patterns, especially when considering the short-and long-term variability of oceanic conditions (Scott et al, 2014;Barbour et al, 2020). Data from acoustic studies can contribute to more accurate models and simulations of hatchling dispersal to better predict how changes in global climate, ocean currents, and coastal development will affect the survival and oceanic distributions of marine turtles (Scott et al, 2014;Thums et al, 2016;Wildermann et al, 2017;Putman et al, 2019).…”

Section: Hatchling Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review of Acoustic Telemetry as a Tool to Gain Insights Into Marine Turtle Ecology and Aid Their Conservation

Hardin

Fuentes

2021

Front. Mar. Sci.

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While widely applied in fisheries science, acoustic telemetry remains an underutilized method in the field of marine turtle biotelemetry. However, with the ability to provide fine-scale spatial data (tens to hundreds of meters, depending on array setup and receiver range) at a low cost, acoustic telemetry presents an important tool for obtaining key information on marine turtle ecology. We present a comprehensive and systematic review acknowledging how acoustic telemetry has been used to advance the field of marine turtle ecology and conservation. We identify the extent of current studies and discuss common and novel research approaches while addressing specific limitations of acoustic telemetry. Forty-eight studies were reviewed, representing six of the seven marine turtle species and all life stages, with most individuals identified as juveniles (45%) and hatchlings (36%). Most studies (83%) focused on the spatial distribution of marine turtles, including estimating home ranges, investigating drivers of habitat use, and identifying horizontal movement patterns and vertical space use. Additionally, acoustic telemetry has been used to study hatchling dispersal and marine turtle exposure and response to threats, as well as to monitor physiological parameters. We identified that acoustic telemetry directly or indirectly informs 60% of the top questions and research priorities related to marine turtles identified by experts in the field. With an increase in acoustic telemetry receiver networks and collaborations across taxa, the applicability of acoustic telemetry is growing, not only for marine turtles but for a wide array of marine species. Although there are limitations that need to be considered at a site/project-level, acoustic telemetry is an important, low-cost technology able to address key questions related to marine turtle ecology that can aid in their conservation, and therefore should be considered by researchers as they develop their projects.

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Environmental and Biological Factors Influencing Dispersal of Neonate Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) From an Endangered Costa Rican Nesting Population

Cited by 7 publications

References 90 publications

Effects of postovipositional hypoxia and hyperoxia on leatherback turtle reproductive success and hatchling performance

Effects of postovipositional hypoxia and hyperoxia on leatherback turtle reproductive success and hatchling performance

Origins of juvenile green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Bahamas: A comparison of recent and historical rookery contributions

A Systematic Review of Acoustic Telemetry as a Tool to Gain Insights Into Marine Turtle Ecology and Aid Their Conservation

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