Foraging Habits of Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Howell, Lyndsey N.; Shaver, Donna J.

doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.658368

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…Green turtles being fed animal protein during rehabilitation showed higher levels of Proteobacteria compared to wild-caught, herbivorous turtles or those fed diets lower in protein (Campos et al 2018, Bloodgood et al 2020. Loggerhead and Kemp's ridley turtles are primarily carnivorous, which could drive a higher prevalence of Proteobacteria compared to the more omnivorous green turtle (Bjorndal 1997, Howell & Shaver 2021. The same trend was noted for Fusobacteria, which is similarly associated with a carnivorous diet in marine mammals (Nelson et al 2013).…”

Section: Fecal Microbiomesmentioning

confidence: 90%

Fecal and cloacal microbiomes of cold-stunned loggerhead Caretta caretta, Kemp’s ridley Lepidochelys kempii, and green sea turtles Chelonia mydas

Forbes¹,

Scro²,

Patel³

et al. 2023

Endang. Species. Res.

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Investigating animal gut microbiomes can lead to a better understanding of their foraging preferences and their overall health. In this study, the fecal and cloacal microbiomes of 4 cold-stunned, frozen loggerhead Caretta caretta, 9 Kemp’s ridley Lepidochelys kempi, and 5 green sea turtles Chelonia mydas that stranded on beaches in Massachusetts, USA, were surveyed. Cloacal swabs and in situ fecal samples were collected from each turtle. From the extracted DNA, the hypervariable V1-V3 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified with PCR, then sequenced using next generation Illumina MiSeq technology. Fecal and cloacal microbiomes were primarily composed of the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. Microbial communities varied significantly based on location of the gut sampled. Cloacal samples were largely dominated by Proteobacteria, while fecal samples appeared to have a greater distribution of taxa and higher alpha diversity. Green turtles had a higher abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes than Kemp’s ridley and loggerhead turtles, but a lower abundance of Proteobacteria. The information gained from this study contributes to knowledge of cold-stunned sea turtle gut microbiomes and may eventually be applied to rehabilitation efforts.

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Section: Fecal Microbiomesmentioning

confidence: 90%

Fecal and cloacal microbiomes of cold-stunned loggerhead Caretta caretta, Kemp’s ridley Lepidochelys kempii, and green sea turtles Chelonia mydas

Forbes¹,

Scro²,

Patel³

et al. 2023

Endang. Species. Res.

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show abstract

“… 41 , 42 Green turtles also aggregate where recreational anglers are concentrated, such as in seagrass beds and along jetties, but their more herbivorous diet likely puts them at less risk. 43 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 14 , 33 The highest abundances of Kemp’s ridley occur in the western Gulf of Mexico, 23 which overlaps with the highest levels of shrimping effort. 41 Green turtles are also abundant in the western Gulf of Mexico; 23 however, their diet of seagrass and algae 43 likely results in relatively little time spent over open mud bottoms where they would overlap with the shrimp fishery.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling juvenile sea turtle bycatch risk in commercial and recreational fisheries

Putman¹,

Richards²,

Dufault³

et al. 2023

iScience

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“…comm. ), habitats that promote omnivory in otherwise herbivorous green sea turtles (Howell and Shaver, 2021).…”

Section: Drivers Of Hawksbill Sea Turtle Trophic Plasticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary plasticity linked to divergent growth trajectories in a critically endangered sea turtle

Ramirez

Avens²,

Meylan³

et al. 2023

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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Foraging habitat selection and diet quality are key factors that influence individual fitness and meta-population dynamics through effects on demographic rates. There is growing evidence that sea turtles exhibit regional differences in somatic growth linked to alternative dispersal patterns during the oceanic life stage. Yet, the role of habitat quality and diet in shaping somatic growth rates is poorly understood. Here, we evaluate whether diet variation is linked to regional growth variation in hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), which grow significantly slower in Texas, United States versus Florida, United States, through novel integrations of skeletal growth, gastrointestinal content (GI), and bulk tissue and amino acid (AA)-specific stable nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotope analyses. We also used AA δ15N ΣV values (heterotrophic bacterial re-synthesis index) and δ13C essential AA (δ13CEAA) fingerprinting to test assumptions about the energy sources fueling hawksbill food webs regionally. GI content analyses, framed within a global synthesis of hawksbill dietary plasticity, revealed that relatively fast-growing hawksbills stranded in Florida conformed with assumptions of extensive spongivory for this species. In contrast, relatively slow-growing hawksbills stranded in Texas consumed considerable amounts of non-sponge invertebrate prey and appear to forage higher in the food web as indicated by isotopic niche metrics and higher AA δ15N-based trophic position estimates internally indexed to baseline nitrogen isotope variation. However, regional differences in estimated trophic position may also be driven by unique isotope dynamics of sponge food webs. AA δ15N ΣV values and δ13CEAA fingerprinting indicated minimal bacterial re-synthesis of organic matter (ΣV < 2) and that eukaryotic microalgae were the primary energy source supporting hawksbill food webs. These findings run contrary to assumptions that hawksbill diets predominantly comprise high microbial abundance sponges expected to primarily derive energy from bacterial symbionts. Our findings suggest alternative foraging patterns could underlie regional variation in hawksbill growth rates, as divergence from typical sponge prey might correspond with increased energy expenditure and reduced foraging success or diet quality. As a result, differential dispersal patterns may infer substantial individual and population fitness costs and represent a previously unrecognized challenge to the persistence and recovery of this critically endangered species.

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Foraging Habits of Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico

Cited by 19 publications

References 64 publications

Fecal and cloacal microbiomes of cold-stunned loggerhead Caretta caretta, Kemp’s ridley Lepidochelys kempii, and green sea turtles Chelonia mydas

Fecal and cloacal microbiomes of cold-stunned loggerhead Caretta caretta, Kemp’s ridley Lepidochelys kempii, and green sea turtles Chelonia mydas

Modeling juvenile sea turtle bycatch risk in commercial and recreational fisheries

Dietary plasticity linked to divergent growth trajectories in a critically endangered sea turtle

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