Genetic characterization of central Mediterranean stocks of the loggerhead turtle (<i>Caretta caretta</i>) using mitochondrial and nuclear markers, and conservation implications

Garofalo, Luisa; Mastrogiacomo, Angela; Casale, Paolo; Carlini, Rossella; Eleni, Claudia; Freggi, Daniela; Gelli, D; Knittweis, Leyla; Mifsud, Carmen; Mingozzi, Toni; Novarini, Nicola; Scaravelli, Dino; Scillitani, Giovanni; Oliverio, Marco; Novelletto, Andrea

doi:10.1002/aqc.2338

Cited by 39 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 69 publications

(114 reference statements)

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“…Analysing genetic differences can therefore provide information on the relative contribution of different rookeries to a common foraging ground, rather than on the origin of a single individual (e.g. for the Mediterranean: Carreras et al 2006;Garofalo et al 2013).…”

Section: Methods For Studying Sea Turtle Movementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Genetic studies too have indicated high proportions of Atlantic individuals in the oceanic zone of the Sicily Channel (Laurent et al 1998) as well as their occurrence in the neritic zone of the Tunisian continental shelf (Figure 5), though at a lower proportion (Casale et al 2008b). Current data suggests that Atlantic turtles do not enter the Adriatic or do so in very low numbers (Giovannotti et al 2010;Garofalo et al 2013). The occurrence of Atlantic loggerheads in other parts of the eastern Mediterranean basin is possible but has not yet been adequately assessed through genetic surveys.…”

Section: Atlantic Loggerheads In the Mediterraneanmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Movement patterns of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: a review

Luschi

Casale

2014

Italian Journal of Zoology

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Understanding the at-sea spatial behaviour of sea turtles is a priority for their conservation. In the present paper, the current information on the distribution and movement patterns of the two species breeding in the Mediterranean, the loggerhead and the green turtle, is reviewed, focusing mainly on the 195 published routes of satellite-tracked turtles. A satisfactory level of knowledge about adults' migrations and other movements is reached only for loggerheads breeding at Zakynthos Island, Greece, and for green and loggerhead females nesting in Cyprus, while studies at foraging grounds are limited to loggerheads in the western and central parts of the basin. Adult males and females mostly show quite uniform post-breeding migratory patterns, typically moving towards individually specific neritic foraging grounds. A much higher variability is shown by loggerhead juveniles, which is probably associated with differences in their spatial behaviour while in oceanic or neritic waters. Evidence of seasonal migrations driven by lower temperatures in winter is available only for adult and juvenile loggerheads frequenting the two northernmost parts of the basin, i.e. the Ligurian and the northern Adriatic Sea. Current knowledge gaps and priorities for further research in the Mediterranean are discussed.

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Section: Methods For Studying Sea Turtle Movementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Atlantic Loggerheads In the Mediterraneanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement patterns of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: a review

Luschi

Casale

2014

Italian Journal of Zoology

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“…1). The northern Adriatic is an important foraging area for adults from Greek (Lazar et al 2004, Carreras et al 2006, Giovannotti et al 2010, Garofalo et al 2013 and Turkish rookeries, as well as for juveniles (Casale et al 2004). Other important areas are the southern Adriatic (Casale et al 2012a), the Ionian Sea, the Strait of Sicily, and the Tunisian shelf (Margaritoulis et al 2003, Casale et al 2007b, Casale et al 2014).…”

Section: Sea Turtle Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other important areas are the southern Adriatic (Casale et al 2012a), the Ionian Sea, the Strait of Sicily, and the Tunisian shelf (Margaritoulis et al 2003, Casale et al 2007b, Casale et al 2014). The latter is frequented by turtles from Greek rookeries, Libya, and the Atlantic (Garofalo et al 2013).…”

Section: Sea Turtle Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The loggerhead Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) is the most common species in the Mediterranean (Broderick et al 2002, Margaritoulis et al 2003. Like the green turtle Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758), it nests in the eastern regions , Margaritoulis et al 2003, but also frequents different habitats during different life stages in the western sector (Garofalo et al 2013), where it co-occurs with individuals from the Atlantic (Carreras et al 2006, Casale et al 2008a. Leatherbacks Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761) are observed regularly at sea , whereas the hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus, 1766) and Kemp's ridley Lepidochelys kempii (Garman, 1880) are recorded here only occasionally Lescure 1994, Camiñas 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A critical review of the Mediterranean sea turtle rescue network: a web looking for a weaver

Ullmann¹,

Stachowitsch²

2015

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Citation: Ullmann J, Stachowitsch M (2015) A critical review of the Mediterranean sea turtle rescue network: a web looking for a weaver. Nature Conservation 10: 45-69. doi: 10.3897/natureconservation.10.4890 Abstract A key issue in conservation biology is recognizing and bridging the gap between scientific results and specific action. We examine sea turtles-charismatic yet endangered flagship species-in the Mediterranean, a sea with historically high levels of exploitation and 22 coastal nations. We take sea turtle rescue facilities as a visible measure for implemented conservation action. Our study yielded 34 confirmed sea turtle rescue centers, 8 first-aid stations, and 7 informal rescue institutions currently in operation. Juxtaposing these facilities to known sea turtle distribution and threat hotspots reveals a clear disconnect. Only 14 of the 22 coastal countries had centers, with clear gaps in the Middle East and Africa. Moreover, the information flow between centers is apparently limited. The populations of the two species nesting in the Mediterranean, the loggerhead Caretta caretta and the green turtle Chelonia mydas, are far below historical levels and face a range of anthropogenic threats at sea and on land. Sea turtle rescue centers are acknowledged to reduce mortality in bycatch hotspots, provide a wealth of scientific data, and raise public awareness. The proposal for a Mediterranean-wide rescue network as published by the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas a decade ago has not materialized in its envisioned scope. We discuss the efficiency, gaps, and needs for a rescue network and call for establishing additional rescue centers and an accompanying common online database to connect existing centers. This would provide better information on the number and types of rescue facilities on a Mediterranean scale, improve communication between these facilities, enhance standardization of procedures, yield large-scale data on the number of treated turtles and their injuries, and thus provide valuable input for targeted conservation measures.

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Annual survival probabilities of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles indicate high anthropogenic impact on Mediterranean populations

Casale

Freggi

Furii

et al. 2014

Aquatic Conservation

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One of the major gaps in the knowledge of sea turtle population dynamics is survival probability, in particular of juveniles, which represent the bulk of the population and whose survival has the greatest effect on population growth. One of the major global threats to sea turtles is incidental bycatch, although not all animals die in the process. This is particularly acute for the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). Here fisheries-dependent monitoring is used to seek insights into patterns of survival at multiple Mediterranean foraging areas: north and south Adriatic, north Ionian, and the Tunisian shelf. Annual survival probability was estimated using the catch curve method. Size data of 2191 loggerhead turtles ranging from 19 to 92cm curved carapace length were converted to age according to eight age-size curves available from the Mediterranean Sea. The mean annual survival probabilities for the four areas were heterogeneous and ranged between 0.710 and 0.862. Results suggest that the survival probabilities for Mediterranean loggerheads, especially in some areas, are lower than would be expected from a healthy population. This is of particular concern for the Greek rookeries, which appear most affected by anthropogenic mortality occurring in the study areas. This supports the implementation in those areas of measures mitigating the main threats, notably bycatch

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Genetic characterization of central Mediterranean stocks of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) using mitochondrial and nuclear markers, and conservation implications

Cited by 39 publications

References 69 publications

Movement patterns of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: a review

Movement patterns of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: a review

A critical review of the Mediterranean sea turtle rescue network: a web looking for a weaver

Annual survival probabilities of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles indicate high anthropogenic impact on Mediterranean populations

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