Journal
MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES
Volume 476, Issue -, Pages 237-+Publisher
INTER-RESEARCH
DOI: 10.3354/meps10185
Keywords
Chelonia mydas; Thalassia testudinum; Compound-specific stable isotope analyses; Amino acids; Carbon; Nitrogen; Herbivory; Caribbean
Categories
Funding
- PADI Foundation Grant
- NSF [OCE-1041329]
- U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
- Knight Vision Foundation
- Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund
- Directorate For Geosciences [1041329] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Ocean Sciences [1040810] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
While many migratory marine organisms converge at breeding areas, identifying foraging strategies away from these reproductive sites can be challenging. Adult female green turtles Chelonia mydas regularly migrate thousands of kilometers between nesting and foraging areas, making it difficult to identify foraging habitats that support nesting populations and to understand their feeding strategies. In this study, we use stable isotope analysis to investigate the trophic ecology and spatial distribution of foraging green turtles in the Greater Caribbean. Further, we explore the possibility that adult green turtles, originally considered to be herbivores, may, like their counterparts in the Pacific Ocean, display carnivorous feeding strategies. The wide range of carbon and nitrogen isotope values in bulk epidermis observed in the nesting population at Tortuguero, Costa Rica, could indicate that these turtles feed over several trophic levels. Isotopic niches-or the range of delta C-13 and delta N-15 values, which can be used as a proxy for ecological niche-varied among the 5 green turtle foraging aggregations sampled. Similarly, the isotopic composition of the primary producer Thalassia testudinum also varied substantially with geographic location. However, compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino acids (AA-CSIA) indicated that individuals in the nesting population with different bulk delta N-15 values feed at the same trophic position. The combined results suggest that spatial differences in the isotopic composition of seagrass at the base of the food web, rather than differences in turtle foraging strategy, contribute to the isotopic variation in the nesting population. This study improves understanding of the foraging ecology of a highly dispersed and migratory species.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available