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Macroalgal foraging preferences of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in a warm temperate/subtropical transition zone

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Abstract

Understanding resource use and foraging requirements is important for the recovery of threatened and endangered marine turtles. Throughout their range, an increasing number of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) has been observed foraging and sheltering within man-made structures. These “artificial habitats” are ecologically important as they support the growth of attached macroalgae, a primary food resource of juvenile green turtles. A population of juvenile green turtles in the Trident Basin at Port Canaveral, Florida, USA (28.41°N, 80.59°W), has historically exhibited strong site fidelity. The purpose of this study was to compare the foraging of juvenile green turtles with the availability of macroalgal resources. Foraging (lavage) samples from 94 juvenile green turtles during a 2-year study period from September 2008 through April 2010 were analyzed with the data from two previous studies (1997 and 2002) to determine the patterns of foraging habits through time. Turtles predominantly foraged on species of red (Rhodophyta) and green (Chlorophyta) macroalgae; however, opportunistic foraging on flotsam and invertebrates was common. Selection for certain rhodophytes (i.e., Gelidiopsis planicaulis, Grateloupia filicina, and Hypnea spinella) and chlorophytes (i.e., Cladophora liniformis, Ulva flexuosa, U. lactuca, and U. prolifera) varied by sampling period. Temperature-driven changes in the macroalgal species composition drove inter-annual differences in foraging content between 2002 and 2010. In addition, after an extended cold event, foraging samples from several turtles contained macroalgae not present in the Basin which suggested that turtles moved out of the Basin to forage during this time or newly emigrated. Establishing baseline resource utilization is instrumental for identifying the quality and function of natural and artificial habitats supporting juvenile green turtles, as their populations continue to recover around the globe.

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Acknowledgements

Access to publicly restricted areas of CCAFS and Trident Basin was granted by US Air Force—45th Space Wing and US NAVY. Special thanks to D.George and A. Chambers for their reviews of materials and M Carroll and M O’Quinn for assistance with site accessibility. Many thanks to L. Ehrhart, W. Redfoot, and UCF’s Marine Turtle Research Group for many hours of netting turtles in all conditions. W. Redfoot was most gracious to allow us to incorporate part of his Master’s work dataset for our comparative analyses. We thank C. Garreau-Bourtis, E. Reyier, D. Scheidt, S. Gann, R. Lowers, and C. Hall for field support. Dynamac and IHA provided time and materials for this project. We appreciate the assistance of W. Freshwater (University of North Carolina, Wilmington) in identification of difficult Gelidiales species. Thank you to my dissertation committee members, L. Ehrhart, C. E. Proffitt, T. Sutton, and R. Virnstein, for their guidance and contributions to the original proposed project and final manuscript review. Thank you to T. Kozusko for help with map creation and M. Mota for comments and review. We want to thank L. Avens (editor), L. Howell and E. Seney (expert reviewers) of this journal for their comments and suggestions that improved the manuscript. This is Harbor Branch Contribution #2082.

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  1. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL, 34946, USA

    Karen G. Holloway-Adkins & M. Dennis Hanisak

  2. Integrative Mission Support Services/Kennedy Space Center Ecological Program, Mail Code: IMS-300, Kennedy Space Center, FL, 32899, USA

    Karen G. Holloway-Adkins

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  1. Karen G. Holloway-Adkins
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Correspondence to Karen G. Holloway-Adkins.

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All applicable federal, state, and institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All research activities were permitted by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Marine Turtle permit # 25) and National Marine Fisheries (NOAA-NMFS # 14506), and in compliance with University of Central Florida IACUC # 08-51 W.

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Responsible Editor: L. Avens.

Reviewed by: L. Howell and E. Seney.

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Holloway-Adkins, K.G., Dennis Hanisak, M. Macroalgal foraging preferences of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in a warm temperate/subtropical transition zone. Mar Biol 164, 161 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-017-3191-0

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