Fijian sea krait behavior relates to fine‐scale environmental heterogeneity in old‐growth coastal forest: The importance of integrated land–sea management for protecting amphibious animals

Abstract

The importance of terrestrial coastal ecosystems for maintaining healthy coral reef ecosystems remains understudied. Sea kraits are amphibious snakes that require healthy coral reefs for foraging, but little is known about their requirements of terrestrial habitats, where they slough their skin, digest prey, and breed. Using concurrent microclimate measurements and behavior surveys, we show that a small, topographically flat atoll in Fiji with coastal forest provides many microhabitats that relate to the behaviors of Yellow Lipped Sea Kraits, Laticauda colubrina. Microclimates were significantly related to canopy cover, leaf litter depth, and distance from the high-water mark (HWM). Sea kraits were almost exclusively observed in coastal forest within 30 m of the HWM. Sloughing of skins only occurred within crevices of mature or dying

Harnessing island–ocean connections to maximize marine benefits of island conservation

“…When occupying terrestrial habitats, seabirds and other connector species transfer nutrients between land and sea. For most connector species, marine-derived nutrients are deposited on land through excrement, carcasses, eggs, and other reproductive materials, as well as feathers and molt ( 52 , 59 – 63 ). Connector species disturb the soil via nest excavation, burrowing, and other physical activities, mixing nutrients into the soil and in some cases providing aeration ( 60 , 64 ).…”