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Spatial, temporal, and dietary overlap of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and ocean sunfishes (family Molidae)

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Date Issued:
2005
Summary:
Investigation of the spatio-temporal movements of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and ocean sunfishes (family Molidae), as well as analyses of their prey, support the hypothesis that they may occupy similar ecological niches. This study examined the spatial and temporal occurrences of sunfishes (Mola mola and Masturus lanceolatus) and leatherbacks in the western Atlantic Ocean and assessed dietary overlap. Analyses of leatherback and sunfish distributions, estimated from aerial surveys, showed greater spatial and temporal overlap along the Northeast coast of North America than in the Gulf of Mexico. Both species co-occur more often during warmer months. Pelagic longline fisheries bycatch data and aerial survey data revealed slightly different trends in spatio-temporal distributions. Nematocysts found within gastrointestinal tract contents of stranded animals indicate that they may feed on similar prey, including cnidarians in the classes Scyphozoa, Hydrozoa, and Cubozoa.
Title: Spatial, temporal, and dietary overlap of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and ocean sunfishes (family Molidae).
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Name(s): Desjardin, Nicole A.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Wyneken, Jeanette, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2005
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 104 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Investigation of the spatio-temporal movements of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and ocean sunfishes (family Molidae), as well as analyses of their prey, support the hypothesis that they may occupy similar ecological niches. This study examined the spatial and temporal occurrences of sunfishes (Mola mola and Masturus lanceolatus) and leatherbacks in the western Atlantic Ocean and assessed dietary overlap. Analyses of leatherback and sunfish distributions, estimated from aerial surveys, showed greater spatial and temporal overlap along the Northeast coast of North America than in the Gulf of Mexico. Both species co-occur more often during warmer months. Pelagic longline fisheries bycatch data and aerial survey data revealed slightly different trends in spatio-temporal distributions. Nematocysts found within gastrointestinal tract contents of stranded animals indicate that they may feed on similar prey, including cnidarians in the classes Scyphozoa, Hydrozoa, and Cubozoa.
Identifier: 9780496991402 (isbn), 13225 (digitool), FADT13225 (IID), fau:10082 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2005.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Subject(s): Freshwater fishes--Atlantic Coast (U S )--Geographical distribution
Sea turtles--Atlantic Coast (U S )--Geographical distribution
Animal behavior
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13225
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.