Feeding Ecology of Wild and Head-Started Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles in South Texas Waters

Shaver, Donna J.

doi:10.2307/1564592

Cited by 80 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Second, this opportunism probably extends to all possible sources of animal material, including carcasses. In fact, samples from 7 turtles included necrophagous gastropods of the genus Nassarius associated with other benthic taxa, an indication that those turtles fed on dead benthic organisms found on the seafloor, as also suggested by Shaver (1991). Scavenging on dead organisms, including fishing discards, was hypothesized by several studies (e.g.…”

Section: Diet Foraging Patterns and Benthic Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…First, the high number of new records of prey species found as well as the different occurrences of taxa such as Echinoidea (53.2%, n = 79) in comparison to another Mediterranean area (Western Basin; 3.7%, n = 54; Tomas et al 2001) or the same area in a different period or season (possible confounding factors due to possible changes in prey availability) (winter: 9.7%, n = 31; Laurent & Lescure 1994) animal material, including carcasses. In fact, samples from 7 turtles included necrophagous gastropods of the genus Nassarius associated with other benthic taxa, an indication that those turtles fed on dead benthic organisms found on the seafloor, as also suggested by Shaver (1991). Scavenging on dead organisms, including fishing discards, was hypothesized by several studies (e.g.…”

Section: Diet Foraging Patterns and Benthic Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 77%

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Foraging ecology of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in the central Mediterranean Sea: evidence for a relaxed life history model

Casale¹,

Abbate²,

Freggi³

et al. 2008

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

171

174

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In the central Mediterranean Sea, gut contents and feces of 95 turtles captured by bottom trawlers and pelagic longliners fishing in neritic and oceanic areas, respectively, were examined. Benthic prey were more abundant than pelagic, a probable bias due to the higher digestibility of the latter. Animal and plant taxa belonging to 12 Phyla and 20 Classes were observed, with 63 new records of prey species, and Malacostraca, Gastropoda, and Echinoidea were the most commonly occurring animal classes. Results showed a highly opportunistic foraging behavior by the turtles on both live and dead material in the epipelagic zone as well as on all types of seafloor. Benthic taxa were found in turtles as small as 26 cm curved carapace length (CCL), indicating an early use of benthic resources, and also among turtles over a wide size range caught by pelagic longliners. The lack of evidence of a strict oceanic/ pelagic stage and of a clear habitat shift in the observed size range (25 to 80.3 cm CCL), when considered together with other recent findings, challenges the current ontogenetic model of life history for the species. A relaxed model is proposed, with an early short obligate epipelagic stage due to limited diving capacity, followed by the main opportunistic amphi-habitat stage, with a tendency to prefer benthic prey as turtles grow and their benthic foraging efficiency improves. Under this model, temporary or permanent association or fidelity to specific oceanic or neritic zones would vary among individuals or populations according to food availability and oceanographic features in the foraging or migratory areas. KEY WORDS: Sea turtle · Caretta caretta · Diet · Life history · Mediterranean Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 372: [265][266][267][268][269][270][271][272][273][274][275][276] 2008 Mediterranean basin (Margaritoulis et al. 2003). In particular, the area between Sicily (Italy) and Africa is considered among the most important areas for loggerheads and this is where pelagic longliners and bottom trawlers capture high numbers of turtles (Casale et al. 2007a).Diet data from different neritic areas of the basin show markedly different compositions of benthic taxa, an indication of opportunistic feeding (Laurent & Lescure 1994, Godley et al. 1997, Tomas et al. 2001. However, the ecology of loggerhead turtles in the basin is still poorly known. Laurent et al. (1998) hypothesized a transitional stage between the strictly oceanic and neritic stages, in which loggerhead turtles would feed mainly on pelagic prey but also on benthic prey, but this has not yet been adequately investigated through diet analyses. This is not a simple task, since loggerhead turtles in the neritic stage are known to feed throughthe whole water column (Bolten 2003), so that finding pelagic and benthic prey in the same sample (e.g. Tomas et al. 2001) is not proof of a transitional stage.Small loggerhead turtles (minimum size: 29.5 and 22 cm respectively; Casale et al....

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Section: Diet Foraging Patterns and Benthic Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Diet Foraging Patterns and Benthic Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 77%

Foraging ecology of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in the central Mediterranean Sea: evidence for a relaxed life history model

Casale¹,

Abbate²,

Freggi³

et al. 2008

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

171

174

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Considerations include habitat or diet-dependent differences in toxin exposure. Juvenile green turtles are mostly herbivorous and inhabit primarily inshore waters, whereas adult and near-adult Kemp's ridleys are benthic carnivores that frequent nearshore Gulf waters (Shaver 1991). Flewelling et al (2005) found that turtle grass Thalassia testudinum, a common food choice for green turtles in coastal Texas (Howell et al 2016), accumulated and stored PbTx, resulting in manatee deaths after the bloom subsided.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brevetoxin exposure in sea turtles in south Texas (USA) during Karenia brevis red tide

Walker¹,

Shaver²,

Stacy³

et al. 2018

Dis. Aquat. Org.

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“…The post-hatchling stage extends to approximately age 2 (< 20 cm straight carapace length, SCL) and is followed by a benthic im mature stage that lasts an average of 10 yr (20 to 60 cm SCL; Snover et al 2007). Benthic-stage immature Kemp's ridleys occur in shallow, nearshore habitats of the northwestern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico (reviewed by Ogren 1989 andLimpus 1997), where they feed primarily on crabs, other benthic inverte brates, and occasionally fishery bycatch (Shaver 1991, Burke et al 1994, Frick & Mason 1998, Seney & Musick 2005, Witzell & Schmid 2005. Age at maturity (> 60 cm SCL) is estimated at 10 to 17 yr, with a mean of 12 yr (Sno ver et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Age at maturity (> 60 cm SCL) is estimated at 10 to 17 yr, with a mean of 12 yr (Sno ver et al 2007). Adult Kemp's ridleys occur primarily along the Gulf of Mexico's continental shelf (Morreale et al 2007), and they feed predominantly on crabs (Shaver 1991, Frick & Mason 1998.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement patterns of immature and adult female Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Seney¹,

Landry²

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The Kemp's ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys kempii is recovering from declines that reduced nesting from a single-day estimate of 10 000 to 40 000 females in 1947 to < 300 during the entire 1985 nesting season. Although beach monitoring is crucial to estimating nesting population size and activity, in-water data are essential for understanding population dynamics, evaluating management strategies, and ensuring the species' continued recovery. Fifteen immature and 7 adult female ridleys were fitted with platform terminal transmitters and released off the upper Texas coast during 2004 through 2007. Immature individuals were tracked primarily during warmer months and exhibited preferences for tidal passes, bays, coastal lakes, and nearshore waters, although movement patterns varied among years. Females tracked during their internesting intervals remained in the vicinity of the upper Texas coast and, upon entering the postnesting stage, moved eastward along the 20 m isobath to foraging areas offshore of central Louisiana. Satellite telemetry indicated that inshore and continental shelf waters of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico serve as developmental, migratory, inter-nesting, and post-nesting habitat for the Kemp's ridley. Projected population growth will likely lead to increased use of the northwestern Gulf by the species and more frequent encounters with human activities. The extent of such anthropogenic interactions and need for mitigation measures should be examined and considered by natural resource managers to facilitate continued recovery of this and other sea turtle species in the Gulf of Mexico. Likewise, research efforts should be continued to better understand seasonal in-water distributions, abundances, population dynamics, and mortality risks to all life history stages.

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Feeding Ecology of Wild and Head-Started Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles in South Texas Waters

Cited by 80 publications

References 7 publications

Foraging ecology of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in the central Mediterranean Sea: evidence for a relaxed life history model

Foraging ecology of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in the central Mediterranean Sea: evidence for a relaxed life history model

Brevetoxin exposure in sea turtles in south Texas (USA) during Karenia brevis red tide

Movement patterns of immature and adult female Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico

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