학술논문
Fine-scale foraging ecology and habitat use of sympatric green and hawksbill turtles in the Western Indian ocean.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Sanchez CL; Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via A. Volta 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy; Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mahé, P.O. Box 853, Victoria, Seychelles.; Casale P; Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via A. Volta 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy. Electronic address: paolo.casale@unipi.it.; Bunbury N; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mahé, P.O. Box 853, Victoria, Seychelles; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK.; A'Bear L; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mahé, P.O. Box 853, Victoria, Seychelles.; Banane V; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mahé, P.O. Box 853, Victoria, Seychelles.; Benstrong F; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mahé, P.O. Box 853, Victoria, Seychelles.; Bielsa M; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mahé, P.O. Box 853, Victoria, Seychelles.; Jones CW; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mahé, P.O. Box 853, Victoria, Seychelles.; Koester A; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mahé, P.O. Box 853, Victoria, Seychelles.; Murasko S; Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA.; van Rooyen MC; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mahé, P.O. Box 853, Victoria, Seychelles.; Fleischer-Dogley F; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Mahé, P.O. Box 853, Victoria, Seychelles.; Ceriani SA; Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Saint Petersburg, FL, USA.
Source
Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9882895 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-0291 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01411136 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Mar Environ Res Subsets: MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Using stable isotope analysis of carbon and nitrogen of turtle tissues and putative prey items, we investigated the diet of immature green turtles and hawksbill turtles foraging in the lagoon of Aldabra Atoll, a relatively undisturbed atoll in the southern Seychelles. Aldabra offers a unique environment for understanding sea turtle ecology. Green turtles mostly consumed seagrass and brown algae while hawksbill turtles mainly consumed mangroves and invertebrates. Green turtles showed a dietary shift with size (a proxy for age). There was minimal niche overlap between species and evidence of small-scale foraging site fidelity with turtle tissue reflecting site-specific prey. This highlights the ecological importance of seagrass and mangrove habitats and suggests that turtles play a role in controlling algal biomass at Aldabra. This study is the first to closely examine the foraging ecology of these sympatric turtle species in the Western Indian Ocean, a globally important region for both species.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)