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Published on: July 22, 2018
Phenology of marine turtle nesting revealed by statistical model of the nesting season
Marc Girondot1, Philippe Rivalan, Ronald Wongsopawiro
1Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR 8079, Université Paris-Sud, ENGREF et CNRS, Bât, 362, 91405 Orsay cedex, France. marc.girondot@ese.u-psud.fr
Background:
Marine turtles deposit their eggs on tropical or subtropical beaches during discrete nesting seasons that span several months. The number and distribution of nests laid during a nesting season provide vital information on various aspects of marine turtle ecology and conservation.
Results:
In the case of leatherback sea turtles nesting in French Guiana, we developed a mathematical model to explore the phenology of their nesting season, derived from an incomplete nest count dataset. We detected 3 primary components in the nest distribution of leatherbacks: an overall shape that corresponds to the arrival and departure of leatherback females in the Guianas region, a sinusoidal pattern with a period of approximately 10 days that is related to physiological constraints of nesting female leatherbacks, and a sinusoidal pattern with a period of approximately 15 days that likely reflects the influence of spring high tides on nesting female turtles.
Conclusion:
The model proposed here offers a variety of uses for both marine turtles and also other taxa when individuals are observed in a particular location for only part of the year.
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