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Threshold to maturity in a long-lived reptile: interactions of age, size, and growth

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Abstract

Thresholds to sexual maturity—either age or size—are critical life history parameters. Usually investigated in short-lived organisms, these thresholds and interactions among age, size, and growth are poorly known for long-lived species. A 34-year study of captive green turtles (Chelonia mydas) that followed individuals from hatching to beyond maturity provided an opportunity to evaluate these parameters in a long-lived species with late maturity. Age and size at maturity are best predicted by linear growth rate and mass growth rate, respectively. At maturity, resource allocation shifts from growth to reproductive output, regardless of nutrient availability or size at maturity. Although captive turtles reach maturity at younger ages than wild turtles, the extensive variation in captive turtles under similar conditions provides important insights into the variation that would exist in wild populations experiencing stochastic conditions. Variation in age/size at maturity should be incorporated into population models for conservation and management planning.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund. We are grateful to the staff of the Cayman Turtle Farm for their many years of work that made this study possible. We thank M. Chaloupka for constructive comments on the manuscript. All animal care was conducted incompliance with the Government of the Cayman Islands. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Karen A. Bjorndal & Alan B. Bolten

  2. Cayman Turtle Farm, Grand Cayman, KY1-1301, Cayman Islands

    Joe Parsons & Walter Mustin

Authors
  1. Karen A. Bjorndal
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  2. Joe Parsons
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  3. Walter Mustin
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  4. Alan B. Bolten
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Correspondence to Karen A. Bjorndal.

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Communicated by R. Lewison.

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Bjorndal, K.A., Parsons, J., Mustin, W. et al. Threshold to maturity in a long-lived reptile: interactions of age, size, and growth. Mar Biol 160, 607–616 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2116-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-2116-1

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