Nest site selection repeatability of green turtles, Chelonia mydas, and consequences for offspring

Patrício, Ana R.; Varela, Miguel R.; Barbosa, Castro; Broderick, Annette C.; Airaud, Maria B. Ferreira; Godley, Brendan J.; Regalla, Aissa; Tilley, Dominic; Catry, Paulo

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.03.006

Cited by 33 publications

(38 citation statements)

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“…In a previous study, we found that the green turtles at Poilão currently nest at a preferred elevation, above the high spring tide, enhancing hatching success (Patrício et al., ), suggesting that nest site choice is an adaptive behaviour that has been under selection. Additionally, nesting turtles displayed high fidelity to nesting microhabitat characteristics (i.e., habitat type, distance to the vegetation, location along the beach and elevation; Patrício et al., ), a phenomenon also seen in hawksbill turtles (Kamel & Mrosovsky, , ), suggesting a possible genetic basis for nest site selection. This provides opportunity for natural selection to act, as females deciding to lay their clutches at higher elevations (safer from flooding) and under cooler conditions (in the forest, but also later in the season) may have enhanced fitness under climate change scenarios.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Because mean clutch depth is 0.7 m (Patrício, Marques, et al., ), a nest with a surface elevation >MHT may still be subjected to varying degrees of flooding. Based on a previous study (Patrício et al., ) however, nests with a surface elevation below the MHT have a hatching success (H%) ≈ 0%, thereon increasing with elevation, indicating that this is a good reference for complete loss due to inundation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…In a previous study, we found that the green turtles at Poilão currently nest at a preferred elevation, above the high spring tide, enhancing hatching success , suggesting that nest site choice is an adaptive behaviour that has been under selection. Additionally, nesting turtles displayed high fidelity to nesting microhabitat characteristics (i.e., habitat type, distance to the vegetation, location along the beach and elevation; Patrício et al, 2018), a phenomenon also seen in hawksbill turtles (Kamel & Mrosovsky, 2005, 2006 ature resulting in a 1:1 primary sex ratio). This is more likely in populations with more mixed clutches (and wider TRTs, Hulin et al, 2009), as is the case in Poilão (Patrício, Marques, et al, 2017).…”

Section: Climate Change Resilience and Conservation Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate change resilience of a globally important sea turtle nesting population

Patrício

Varela

Barbosa

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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Few studies have looked into climate change resilience of populations of wild animals. We use a model higher vertebrate, the green sea turtle, as its life history is fundamentally affected by climatic conditions, including temperature‐dependent sex determination and obligate use of beaches subject to sea level rise (SLR). We use empirical data from a globally important population in West Africa to assess resistance to climate change within a quantitative framework. We project 200 years of primary sex ratios (1900–2100) and create a digital elevation model of the nesting beach to estimate impacts of projected SLR. Primary sex ratio is currently almost balanced, with 52% of hatchlings produced being female. Under IPCC models, we predict: (a) an increase in the proportion of females by 2100 to 76%–93%, but cooler temperatures, both at the end of the nesting season and in shaded areas, will guarantee male hatchling production; (b) IPCC SLR scenarios will lead to 33.4%–43.0% loss of the current nesting area; (c) climate change will contribute to population growth through population feminization, with 32%–64% more nesting females expected by 2120; (d) as incubation temperatures approach lethal levels, however, the population will cease growing and start to decline. Taken together with other factors (degree of foraging plasticity, rookery size and trajectory, and prevailing threats), this nesting population should resist climate change until 2100, and the availability of spatial and temporal microrefugia indicates potential for resilience to predicted impacts, through the evolution of nest site selection or changes in nesting phenology. This represents the most comprehensive assessment to date of climate change resilience of a marine reptile using the most up‐to‐date IPCC models, appraising the impacts of temperature and SLR, integrated with additional ecological and demographic parameters. We suggest this as a framework for other populations, species and taxa.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Climate Change Resilience and Conservation Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate change resilience of a globally important sea turtle nesting population

Patrício

Varela

Barbosa

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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“…With cheap, portable, accurate and visually appealing/easily understood results, we have demonstrated it to be a viable solution for assessing the likely loss of to marine turtle nesting habitat, from which well-informed and effective management responses to coastal squeeze (Fish et al, 2008), can be made. This workflow can be used for other sea turtle species and populationsas we demonstrate in Patrício, Varela, Barbosa, Broderick, Airaud, et al (2018) and , but can also be broadly applied to any vulnerable species or coastal habitats, e.g. mangroves (Ellison, 2015;Spencer et al, 2016;Woodroffe, 2018), and shorebirds (Galbraith et al, 2002;Kane, Fletcher, Frazer, & Barbee, 2015;Thorne et al, 2018) or forecasting likely extent of oil spill contamination (Lauritsen et al, 2017), which require a realistic model for SLR projections.…”

Section: Future and Wider Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing climate change associated sea‐level rise impacts on sea turtle nesting beaches using drones, photogrammetry and a novel GPS system

Varela

Patrício

Anderson

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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Climate change associated sea‐level rise (SLR) is expected to have profound impacts on coastal areas, affecting many species, including sea turtles which depend on these habitats for egg incubation. Being able to accurately model beach topography using digital terrain models (DTMs) is therefore crucial to project SLR impacts and develop effective conservation strategies. Traditional survey methods are typically low‐cost with low accuracy or high‐cost with high accuracy. We present a novel combination of drone‐based photogrammetry and a low‐cost and portable real‐time kinematic (RTK) GPS to create DTMs which are highly accurate (<10 cm error) and visually realistic. This methodology is ideal for surveying coastal sites, can be broadly applied to other species and habitats, and is a relevant tool in supporting the development of Specially Protected Areas. Here, we applied this method as a case‐study to project three SLR scenarios (0.48, 0.63 and 1.20 m) and assess the future vulnerability and viability of a key nesting habitat for sympatric loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green turtle (Chelonia mydas) at a key rookery in the Mediterranean. We combined the DTM with 5 years of nest survey data describing location and clutch depth, to identify (a) regions with highest nest densities, (b) nest elevation by species and beach, and (c) estimated proportion of nests inundated under each SLR scenario. On average, green turtles nested at higher elevations than loggerheads (1.8 m vs. 1.32 m, respectively). However, because green turtles dig deeper nests than loggerheads (0.76 m vs. 0.50 m, respectively), these were at similar risk of inundation. For a SLR of 1.2 m, we estimated a loss of 67.3% for loggerhead turtle nests and 59.1% for green turtle nests. Existing natural and artificial barriers may affect the ability of these nesting habitats to remain suitable for nesting through beach migration.

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“…This is especially true for species with minimal parental care because such care would provide opportunities for parents to influence nest temperatures after oviposition. Nest temperature has wide-ranging impacts on hatching success, incubation time, and hatchling growth rates [16][17][18][19][20][21] as well as indirect effects on hatchling size and hatchling activity levels in turtles, lizards, and snakes [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. These effects of nest temperature on hatchling traits can last up to a year after individuals hatch [21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Nest Depth and Site Choice in Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change on an Oviparous Reptile

et al. 2020

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Climate change is likely to have strong impacts on oviparous animals with minimal parental care, because nest temperature can impact egg development, sex, and survival, especially in the absence of mitigation via parental care. Nesting females may compensate for increasing temperatures by altering how, when, and where they nest. We examined the factors determining nest depth and site choice as well as the effects that nest depth and location have on nest temperature and hatching success in the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin). We found that nest depth was not correlated with nesting female size, egg characteristics, or daily temperatures. Nest temperatures and hatching success were correlated with different environmental and nest characteristics between 2004, a cool and wet year, and 2005, a hot and dry year. Females selected nests with lower southern overstory vegetation in 2005. These results suggest that nest depth and location can play an important yet varying role in determining nest temperature and hatching success in more extreme warm and dry environmental conditions and, therefore, may mitigate the impacts of climate change on oviparous reptiles. However, we found minimal evidence that turtles choose nest locations and depths that maximize offspring survival based on short-term environmental cues.

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Nest site selection repeatability of green turtles, Chelonia mydas, and consequences for offspring

Cited by 33 publications

References 50 publications

Climate change resilience of a globally important sea turtle nesting population

Climate change resilience of a globally important sea turtle nesting population

Assessing climate change associated sea‐level rise impacts on sea turtle nesting beaches using drones, photogrammetry and a novel GPS system

The Role of Nest Depth and Site Choice in Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change on an Oviparous Reptile

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