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Data Collection on Marine Litter Ingestion in Sea Turtles and Thresholds for Good Environmental Status
Published on: May 18, 2019
Isotope analysis reveals foraging area dichotomy for atlantic leatherback turtles
Stéphane Caut1, Sabrina Fossette, Elodie Guirlet
1Laboratory for Oceanology, MARE Center, B6C Liège University, Sart-Tilman, Liège, Belgique. stephane.caut@u-psud.fr
Plos One
|March 28, 2008
Summary
Atlantic leatherback turtles exhibit distinct feeding habits based on their remigration interval. This study used stable isotopes to identify feeding grounds, crucial for conservation efforts to protect this endangered species.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Conservation Science
- Wildlife Ecology
Background:
- Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) face significant population declines due to fisheries bycatch and harvesting.
- Atlantic leatherbacks migrate long distances between nesting and feeding grounds, with remigration intervals (RI) of 2-3 years.
- Understanding feeding areas is critical for effective conservation, but data on the full RI has been limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the feeding ground characteristics of leatherback turtle females nesting in French Guiana.
- To differentiate feeding habitats based on the 2-year and 3-year remigration intervals.
- To assess the utility of egg-yolk stable isotope analysis for dietary assessment.
Main Methods:
- Stable isotope analysis of egg-yolk and blood samples from nesting leatherback females.
- Comparison of isotopic values between females with 2-year and 3-year remigration intervals.
- Utilizing dietary tracers to infer feeding ground locations and characteristics.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in isotope values were observed between 2-year and 3-year RI females.
- Females with different RIs appear to utilize distinct feeding habitats (offshore vs. coastal) and foraging latitudes (North Atlantic vs. West African coasts).
- Egg-yolk isotope values strongly correlate with blood isotope values, validating egg analysis for dietary assessment.
Conclusions:
- The French Guiana leatherback population likely segregates into two distinct dietary groups based on RI.
- Identifying these specific feeding habitats is urgent for mitigating fisheries bycatch.
- Egg analysis provides a less invasive method for assessing the feeding ecology of adult female leatherbacks.
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