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New paternity analyses may confound current population models for loggerhead sea turtles (caretta caretta)
Title
New paternity analyses may confound current population models for loggerhead sea turtles (caretta caretta).
Creator
Lasala, Jacob, Harrison, J. S., Williams, K., Frick, M, Rostal, D. C., Wyneken, Jeanette, Graduate College
Date Issued
2013-04-12
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3361944
Subject Headings
Loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, Polyandry, Population Dynamics
Format
Document (PDF)
Relocation and Flood Impacts on Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Nest Success
Title
Relocation and Flood Impacts on Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Nest Success.
Creator
Esposito, Lisa Anne, Milton, Sarah L., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description
Sea level rise threatens loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nests laid close to the high tide line (HTL) with inundation from washover. Boca Raton, Florida is a relatively steep, dynamic beach with changes in beach morphology even during nonactive hurricane seasons. One potential solution to conserve sea turtle nests is to relocate nests laid at or below the HTL closer to the dune. In this study, I examined reproductive success for in situ vs relocated nests. Relocation did not decrease...
Show moreSea level rise threatens loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nests laid close to the high tide line (HTL) with inundation from washover. Boca Raton, Florida is a relatively steep, dynamic beach with changes in beach morphology even during nonactive hurricane seasons. One potential solution to conserve sea turtle nests is to relocate nests laid at or below the HTL closer to the dune. In this study, I examined reproductive success for in situ vs relocated nests. Relocation did not decrease reproductive success, while nests left near the HTL were at risk of washout. During a dry season, nests that experienced one to three days of washover had significantly higher reproductive success than nests that experienced no washover. Relocation can be a useful method to preserve nests against sea level rise, but nonrelocated nests near the HTL may sometimes benefit from washover to cool the nests during hot and dry years.
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Date Issued
2023
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014177
Subject Headings
Loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, Sea turtles--Nests
Format
Document (PDF)
Polychlorinated biphenyls and p,p’-DDE in loggerhead and green postyearling Atlantic sea turtles
Title
Polychlorinated biphenyls and p,p’-DDE in loggerhead and green postyearling Atlantic sea turtles.
Creator
McKim, James M., Jr., Johnson, Kenneth L., Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Date Issued
1983
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FCLA/DT/3176716
Subject Headings
Sea turtles, Polychlorinated biphenyls, Green turtle, Loggerhead turtle, Chelonia mydas, Caretta caretta, Pesticides
Format
Document (PDF)
Incubation Temperature Effects on Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Green (Chelonia mydas) Sea Turtle Hatchling Vigor
Title
Incubation Temperature Effects on Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and Green (Chelonia mydas) Sea Turtle Hatchling Vigor.
Creator
Henaghan, Christopher, Milton, Sarah, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
Climate change has the potential to expose sea turtle nests to higher temperatures, which may negatively impact sea turtle hatchling vigor. In this study, loggerhead and green hatchlings were sampled from the Boca Raton, Florida beach and via lab incubation, and hatchling vigor was determined. Elevated nest temperatures decreased loggerhead and green turtle hatchling performance and corticosterone levels, with the most significant effects found in hatchlings exposed to maximum incubation...
Show moreClimate change has the potential to expose sea turtle nests to higher temperatures, which may negatively impact sea turtle hatchling vigor. In this study, loggerhead and green hatchlings were sampled from the Boca Raton, Florida beach and via lab incubation, and hatchling vigor was determined. Elevated nest temperatures decreased loggerhead and green turtle hatchling performance and corticosterone levels, with the most significant effects found in hatchlings exposed to maximum incubation temperatures above 35°C during late development. Lab-incubated loggerhead post-hatchling corticosterone levels and growth rates were also determined. The differences seen in corticosterone levels with overall nest incubation temperatures, mean temperatures during early, middle or late stages of development, and its negative correlation with hatchling performance improves our understanding of the underlying physiological mechanisms linking elevated incubation temperatures and sub-lethal physiological effects that may significantly impact hatchling survival, a critical step for sea turtle conservation in south Florida and elsewhere.
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Date Issued
2018
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013157
Subject Headings
Loggerhead turtle--Florida, Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, Green turtle, Temperature, Eggs--Incubation
Format
Document (PDF)
Impact of the Fire Ant Pesticide Hydramethylnon (AMDRO®) on Loggerhead Sea Turtle Reproductive Success and Hatchling Quality
Title
Impact of the Fire Ant Pesticide Hydramethylnon (AMDRO®) on Loggerhead Sea Turtle Reproductive Success and Hatchling Quality.
Creator
Smith, Heather, Salmon, Michael, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
Invasive fire ants are aggressive predators of ground nesting birds and reptiles and are spreading rapidly throughout tropical and temperate climates. Fire ants have been known to prey on a variety of reptile species, including threatened loggerhead sea turtles. The granular fire ant bait AMDRO® is being used on sea turtle nesting beaches to protect nests and hatchlings from these predators, however no studies have been conducted to thoroughly assess its effect on any reptile species. In this...
Show moreInvasive fire ants are aggressive predators of ground nesting birds and reptiles and are spreading rapidly throughout tropical and temperate climates. Fire ants have been known to prey on a variety of reptile species, including threatened loggerhead sea turtles. The granular fire ant bait AMDRO® is being used on sea turtle nesting beaches to protect nests and hatchlings from these predators, however no studies have been conducted to thoroughly assess its effect on any reptile species. In this field study, I examined the impact of AMDRO® on hatching and emergence success, body condition, and orientation behavior in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in Juno Beach, Florida, USA. Pesticide granules were placed in a one-foot diameter circle directly above nest chambers during the final 5-10 days of incubation, which is representative of typical field applications of this pesticide on nesting beaches. Two controls were used in this study: cornmeal granules in soybean oil served as the vehicle control, and a second group of untreated control nests were left to incubate naturally, undisturbed. After a natural emergence, hatchlings were collected to calculate a body condition index (BCI). For a subset of the nests, 20 hatchlings were collected to perform orientation assays to assess the hatchlings’ ability to orient correctly toward the ocean, a visually mediated process that could be altered by visual impairments resulting from ADMRO® exposure. Three days following a mass emergence event, nests were excavated to collect hatching and emergence success data. Sand samples were collected to determine if the toxicant persisted in the environment or penetrated the egg chamber. Analyses indicated that the toxicant had no effect on hatchling morphology, hatching success, or emergence success. It also had no effect on the ability of hatchlings to orient toward the ocean. However, the pesticide granules attracted more predators than were seen at control nests. Thus, while AMDRO® might not directly impact reproductive success or hatchling behavior, it had the unanticipated effect of possibly increasing nest vulnerability to predators.
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Date Issued
2019
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013264
Subject Headings
Fire ants, Loggerhead turtle--Effect of pesticides on, Caretta caretta
Format
Document (PDF)
Measuring Nest-to-Surf Mortality of Florida’s East and West Coast Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Hatchlings
Title
Measuring Nest-to-Surf Mortality of Florida’s East and West Coast Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Hatchlings.
Creator
Villegas Vindiola, Brianna, Wyneken, Jeanette, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
Sea turtle hatchlings emerge from their nest and quickly crawl to the surf. During the crawl, hatchlings may encounter threats, biotic and abiotic, which can affect their ability to successfully reach the surf. The impact of these threats on hatchling survival during that crawl is largely undocumented. Current methods used to estimate cohort recruitment rely heavily on nest inventory data. This method, however, does not account for post-emergent hatchling mortality that occurs during the...
Show moreSea turtle hatchlings emerge from their nest and quickly crawl to the surf. During the crawl, hatchlings may encounter threats, biotic and abiotic, which can affect their ability to successfully reach the surf. The impact of these threats on hatchling survival during that crawl is largely undocumented. Current methods used to estimate cohort recruitment rely heavily on nest inventory data. This method, however, does not account for post-emergent hatchling mortality that occurs during the crawl. During the 2017-2018 nesting seasons, I quantified the fates of 1,379 loggerhead (Caretta caretta) hatchlings from 26 nest emergences during their crawl from the nest to the surf on the east and west coasts of Florida. I documented hatchling fates at 5 Florida nesting beaches: Wabasso, Boca Raton, Keewaydin Island, Naples, and Anna Maria Island. Overall, 6.5% of all emergent hatchlings died during the crawl from the nests to the surf. Ghost crabs, night herons, foxes, and coyotes killed hatchlings and photopollution and barriers on the beach (both abiotic threats) caused hatchling mortality. Anthropogenic (abiotic) threats accounted for more mortality than did predators. In order to assess how beach urbanization impacts hatchling mortality, I categorized each study site as urban (Wabasso and Naples), intermediate (Anna Maria Island and Boca Raton), or natural (Keewaydin Island) based on the relative levels of shoreline development and human activity at each beach. Sites with intermediate levels of urbanization accounted for greater levels of hatchling mortality than at other beaches due to the absolutely larger numbers of hatchlings lost to a disorientation event and to a beach barrier. Given the small numbers of emergences, at all sites, only a small proportion of the hatchlings mortalities (e.g., between 3 and 12 percent), site type could not be rigorously used as a discriminator. My results provide a better understanding of how specific environmental threats contribute to hatchling mortality. While nest-to-surf mortality is relatively low, its cumulative costs add up to several hundreds of thousands of hatchlings. Armed with this information, nesting beach managers can assess risks and focus their efforts to implement the most effective management practices to minimize losses of this imperiled species.
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Date Issued
2019
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013277
Subject Headings
Loggerhead turtle--Florida, Caretta caretta, Sea turtles--Nests, Sea turtles--Mortality
Format
Document (PDF)
MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS PRODUCE HIGH HATCHING AND EMERGENCE SUCCESS IN NORTHWEST ATLANTIC LOGGERHEADS (CARETTA CARETTA)
Title
MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS PRODUCE HIGH HATCHING AND EMERGENCE SUCCESS IN NORTHWEST ATLANTIC LOGGERHEADS (CARETTA CARETTA).
Creator
Gravelle, Jessica, Wyneken, Jeanette, Florida Atlantic University, Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Abstract/Description
Sea turtle nest success, defined as the number of eggs in a nest that successfully hatch and emerge, is closely linked to environmental conditions. Interacting biotic and abiotic factors influence hatching and hatchling emergence success. To date, combinations of multiple factors interacting together, which result in highly successful sea turtle nests are not well understood. Using 25-years of historic nest data and local expert experience, I identified five historically successful loggerhead...
Show moreSea turtle nest success, defined as the number of eggs in a nest that successfully hatch and emerge, is closely linked to environmental conditions. Interacting biotic and abiotic factors influence hatching and hatchling emergence success. To date, combinations of multiple factors interacting together, which result in highly successful sea turtle nests are not well understood. Using 25-years of historic nest data and local expert experience, I identified five historically successful loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nesting beaches (hotspots) along the Florida (USA) Atlantic coast and measured nest environments along with nest success. Principal component analysis was used to reduce 12 environmental variables so that the relative contributions of sand characteristics, nest temperature, sand moisture, and nest location were considered. The nest environments differed among nesting beaches and were broadly segregated into two distinct climates: subtropical (hot and humid) and warm-temperate (warm and dry). I found that nests at subtropical sites, compared with the warm-temperate sites, were characterized by environmental gradients in contrasting ways. Nest locations were predominantly mid-beach in subtropical sites but clustered at higher elevations and closer to the base of the dune at warm-temperate climate sites. Collectively, highly successful nest hotspots represent a mosaic of abiotic factors providing conditions that promote successful hatching and emergence. This new perspective on consistently successful loggerhead nesting beach traits demonstrate that the key traits of sea turtle nesting habitat vary with prevailing climate type and should be managed accordingly.
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Date Issued
2022
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013900
Subject Headings
Loggerhead turtle--Florida, Sea turtles--Nests, Caretta caretta, Sea turtles--Habitat--Conservation
Format
Document (PDF)