Correlation Between Microbial Community and Hatching Failure in Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Microbiology
• Conservation science

Background:

• Microbiota influences host ecology and conservation, but can also cause harm.
• Caretta caretta, a widespread Mediterranean sea turtle, nests in Italy.
• Knowledge on sea turtle nest microbiota and hatching success correlation is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze and compare the microbial composition of two Caretta caretta nests with differing hatching success rates.
• To identify potential microbial causes of hatching failures in sea turtle nests.
• To investigate the role of nests in modulating sand bacterial communities.

Main Methods:

• Culture-dependent methods for bacterial identification.
• Next-generation sequencing (16S rRNA gene metabarcoding) for bacterial community analysis.
• Comparative analysis of microbial communities from nests with high and low hatching success.

Main Results:

• Five dominant bacterial phyla were identified: Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Firmicutes.
• Specific bacterial families, Pseudomonadaceae and Brucellaceae, were associated with hatching failures.
• Nests actively modulate the bacterial communities within the surrounding sand.

Conclusions:

• Microbiological analysis of nests is a valuable tool for monitoring sea turtle populations.
• Identifying specific bacteria can inform preventive actions to reduce hatching failures.
• Understanding nest microbiota is crucial for effective Caretta caretta conservation efforts.