Post-nesting migrations of loggerhead sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico: dispersal in highly dynamic conditions |
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Authors: | Charlotte Girard Anton D Tucker Beatriz Calmettes |
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Institution: | (1) Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, ULP, CNRS, IPHC, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France;(2) Collecte Localisation Satellites, Direction Océanographie Spatiale, 8-10 rue Hermès, 31520 Ramonville St Agne, France;(3) Mote Marine Laboratory, 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, FL 34236, USA |
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Abstract: | This study is the first report of post-nesting migrations of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting in Sarasota County (Florida, USA), their most important rookery in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In total, 28 females
(curved carapace length CCL between 82.2 and 112.0 cm) were satellite-tracked between May 2005 and December 2007. Post-nesting
migrations were completed in 3–68 days (mean ± SD = 23 ± 16 days). Five different migration patterns were observed: six turtles
remained in the vicinity of their nesting site while the other individuals moved either to the south-western part of the Florida
Shelf (n = 9 turtles), the Northeast GOM (n = 2 turtles), the South GOM (Yucatán Shelf and Campeche Bay, Mexico, and Cuba; n = 5 turtles) or the Bahamas (n = 6 turtles). In average, turtles moved along rather straight routes over the continental shelf but showed more indirect
paths in oceanic waters. Path analyses coupled with remote sensing oceanographic data suggest that most of long-distance migrants
reached their intended foraging destinations but did not compensate for the deflecting action of ocean currents. While six
out of seven small individuals (CCL < 90 cm) remained on the Florida Shelf, larger individuals showed various migration strategies,
staying on the Florida Shelf or moving to long-distance foraging grounds. This study highlights the primary importance the
Western Florida Shelf in the management of the Florida Nesting Subpopulation, as well as the need of multi-national effort
to promote the conservation of the loggerhead turtle in the Western Atlantic.
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. |
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