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seasonal and latitudinal assessment of early growth rates in northern and southeastern loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta L.)

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Date Issued:
2003
Summary:
To improve our understanding of loggerhead life history, particularly factors affecting the duration of each age class and survivorship, detailed growth data must be interpreted. The purpose of this study was to investigate how temporal and spatial nest origin influence initial hatchling size and growth potential. Seasonal environmental fluctuations and maternal resource allocation could result in differential hatchling size and development. Hatchlings from ten sites from North Carolina to Florida representing 2 subpopulations were sampled during 3 phases of the season. The largest (WT, SCL and SCW) hatchlings came from the northernmost site with initial size decreasing as latitude decreased. Turtles deposited during the earliest phase of the nesting season grew faster than those from later phases of the season. Differences in initial size and growth potential could influence early stage survivorship as a function of size-based predation, and may imply the need for separate consideration when constructing population models.
Title: A seasonal and latitudinal assessment of early growth rates in northern and southeastern loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta L.).
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Name(s): Stokes, Lesley.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Wyneken, Jeanette, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2003
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 65 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: To improve our understanding of loggerhead life history, particularly factors affecting the duration of each age class and survivorship, detailed growth data must be interpreted. The purpose of this study was to investigate how temporal and spatial nest origin influence initial hatchling size and growth potential. Seasonal environmental fluctuations and maternal resource allocation could result in differential hatchling size and development. Hatchlings from ten sites from North Carolina to Florida representing 2 subpopulations were sampled during 3 phases of the season. The largest (WT, SCL and SCW) hatchlings came from the northernmost site with initial size decreasing as latitude decreased. Turtles deposited during the earliest phase of the nesting season grew faster than those from later phases of the season. Differences in initial size and growth potential could influence early stage survivorship as a function of size-based predation, and may imply the need for separate consideration when constructing population models.
Identifier: 9780496219087 (isbn), 13070 (digitool), FADT13070 (IID), fau:9934 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2003.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Subject(s): Loggerhead turtle--Growth
Sea turtles
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13070
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.