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USE OF STABLE ISOTOPES TO INFER FORAGING NICHE IN TWO MARINE TURTLE SPECIES: CHELONIA MYDAS AND ERETMOCHELYS IMBRICATA
- Date Issued:
- 2020
- Abstract/Description:
- Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool that can be used to describe a population’s foraging niche by identifying basal resource use, trophic feeding levels, environmental stability, seasonal ecological variation, important shifts in life history, ontogenetic shifts, intraspecific habitat use, and population dynamics. Describing these relationships in endangered marine turtle populations and their critical foraging grounds is essential for determining informed management decisions. This study systematically describes the foraging niche of hawksbills Eretmochelys imbricata, and green turtles, Chelonia mydas in Buck Island Reef National Monument, U.S. Virgin Islands, a critical habitat for nesting and foraging. It assesses the relationships within and between the species in terms of overlap, annual and seasonal variation, and life history and feeding strategies within the community. Most importantly it describes these relationships with metrics that can be used in global comparisons or to measure change in local conditions.
Title: | USE OF STABLE ISOTOPES TO INFER FORAGING NICHE IN TWO MARINE TURTLE SPECIES: CHELONIA MYDAS AND ERETMOCHELYS IMBRICATA. |
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Name(s): |
Moorehouse, Melissa , author Baldwin, John , Thesis advisor Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor Environmental Studies Program Charles E. Schmidt College of Science |
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Type of Resource: | text | |
Genre: | Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation | |
Date Created: | 2020 | |
Date Issued: | 2020 | |
Publisher: | Florida Atlantic University | |
Place of Publication: | Boca Raton, Fla. | |
Physical Form: | application/pdf | |
Extent: | 98 p. | |
Language(s): | English | |
Abstract/Description: | Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool that can be used to describe a population’s foraging niche by identifying basal resource use, trophic feeding levels, environmental stability, seasonal ecological variation, important shifts in life history, ontogenetic shifts, intraspecific habitat use, and population dynamics. Describing these relationships in endangered marine turtle populations and their critical foraging grounds is essential for determining informed management decisions. This study systematically describes the foraging niche of hawksbills Eretmochelys imbricata, and green turtles, Chelonia mydas in Buck Island Reef National Monument, U.S. Virgin Islands, a critical habitat for nesting and foraging. It assesses the relationships within and between the species in terms of overlap, annual and seasonal variation, and life history and feeding strategies within the community. Most importantly it describes these relationships with metrics that can be used in global comparisons or to measure change in local conditions. | |
Identifier: | FA00013456 (IID) | |
Degree granted: | Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. | |
Collection: | FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection | |
Note(s): | Includes bibliography. | |
Subject(s): |
Stable isotopes Stable isotopes--Analysis Sea turtles--Ecology Chelonia mydas Eretmochelys imbricata |
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Held by: | Florida Atlantic University Libraries | |
Sublocation: | Digital Library | |
Persistent Link to This Record: | http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013456 | |
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. |