Hawksbill sea turtles in seagrass pastures: success in a peripheral habitat |
| |
Authors: | Karen A Bjorndal Alan B Bolten |
| |
Institution: | (1) Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology, University of Florida, PO Box 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Hawksbill sea turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata, are closely associated with coral reef and other hard-bottom habitats. Seagrass pastures are peripheral habitats for Caribbean
hawksbills. With the decline in quality and quantity of coral reefs, seagrass habitats may become more important for hawksbills.
We use data from a 30-year mark-recapture study of hawksbills and green turtles, Chelonia mydas, in the southern Bahamas to assess the quality of a seagrass habitat for hawksbills. Size distribution, residence times,
and body condition index for the seagrass hawksbill aggregation are similar to those of hawksbill aggregations over Caribbean
reefs. Somatic growth rates of seagrass hawksbills are in the upper range of those reported for reef hawksbills. Based on
these parameters, peripheral seagrass habitats can support healthy, productive hawksbill aggregations. During the 30-year
study, a sixfold variation in green turtle density in the study area did not affect the productivity or body condition of
hawksbills. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|