You are here

IMPACT OF SARGASSUM ACCUMULATIONS ON LOGGERHEAD HATCHLING RECRUITMENT TO NEARSHORE WATER ON A RAKED URBAN NESTING BEACH IN FLORIDA.

Download pdf | Full Screen View

Date Issued:
2021
Abstract/Description:
Hatchling loggerhead turtles emerge from subsurface nests on the beach at night, crawl down the beach and enter the sea. Recently, increases in a floating algae (Sargassum) has been reported in the mid-Atlantic and the Caribbean, resulting in large algal wrack on Florida beaches. The purpose of my study was to determine if these accumulations acted as a barrier, preventing hatchlings from completing their crawl to the sea. To address this issue I recorded seasonal changes in Sargassum density and directly observed when, and under what circumstances, hatchlings could cross the wrack. There was a significant overlap between when Sargassum accumulation peaked and when the turtles emerged, with the result that hatchling recruitment was significantly reduced (by~22%) during the 2020 nesting season. I conclude that algal accumulations represent a significant threat that may impede the recovery of loggerhead populations, that are currently threatened or endangered worldwide.
Title: IMPACT OF SARGASSUM ACCUMULATIONS ON LOGGERHEAD HATCHLING RECRUITMENT TO NEARSHORE WATER ON A RAKED URBAN NESTING BEACH IN FLORIDA.
50 views
23 downloads
Name(s): Schiariti, Joshua P. , author
Salmon, Michael, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Department of Biological Sciences
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2021
Date Issued: 2021
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 56 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Hatchling loggerhead turtles emerge from subsurface nests on the beach at night, crawl down the beach and enter the sea. Recently, increases in a floating algae (Sargassum) has been reported in the mid-Atlantic and the Caribbean, resulting in large algal wrack on Florida beaches. The purpose of my study was to determine if these accumulations acted as a barrier, preventing hatchlings from completing their crawl to the sea. To address this issue I recorded seasonal changes in Sargassum density and directly observed when, and under what circumstances, hatchlings could cross the wrack. There was a significant overlap between when Sargassum accumulation peaked and when the turtles emerged, with the result that hatchling recruitment was significantly reduced (by~22%) during the 2020 nesting season. I conclude that algal accumulations represent a significant threat that may impede the recovery of loggerhead populations, that are currently threatened or endangered worldwide.
Identifier: FA00013806 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Loggerhead turtle
Sargassum
Conservation biology
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013806
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.