Feeding biology: advances from field-based observations, physiological studies, and molecular techniques

Marine turtles are considered keystone consumers in tropical coastal ecosystems and their decline through overexploitation has been implicated in the deterioration of reefs and seagrass pastures in the Caribbean. In the present study, we analysed stomach contents of green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) harvested in the legal turtle fishery of the Turks and Caicos Islands (Caribbean) during 2008–2010. Small juveniles to adult-sized turtles were sampled. Together with data from habitat surveys, we assessed diet composition and the taxonomic distinctness (and other species diversity measures) in the diets of these sympatric marine turtle species. The diet of green turtles (n = 92) consisted of a total of 47 taxa: including three species of seagrass (present in 99% of individuals), 29 species of algae and eight sponge species. Hawksbill turtles (n = 45) consumed 73 taxa and were largely spongivorous (16 species; sponges present in 100% of individuals) but also foraged on 50 species of algae (present in 73% of individuals) and three species of seagrass. Plastics were found in trace amounts in 4% of green turtle and 9% of hawksbill turtle stomach samples. We expected to find changes in diet that might reflect ontogenetic shifts from small (oceanic-pelagic) turtles to larger (coastal-benthic) turtles. Dietary composition (abundance and biomass), however, did not change significantly with turtle size, although average taxonomic distinctness was lower in larger green turtles. There was little overlap in prey between the two turtle species, suggesting niche separation. Taxonomic distinctness routines indicated that green turtles had the most selective diet, whereas hawksbill turtles were less selective than expected when compared with the relative frequency and biomass of diet items. We discuss these findings in relation to the likely important trophic roles that these sympatric turtle species play in reef and seagrass habitats.

Taxonomic distinctness in the diet of two sympatric marine turtle species

Surveys of juvenile hawksbills around Buck Island Reef National Monument, US Virgin Islands from 1994 to 1999 revealed distributional patterns and resulted in a total of 75 individual hawksbill captures from all years; turtles ranged from 23.2 to 77.7 cm curved carapace length (CCL; mean 42.1 ± 12.3 cm SD). Juveniles concentrated where Zoanthid cover was highest. Length of time between recaptures, or presumed minimum site residency, ranged from 59 to 1,396 days (mean 620.8 ± 402.4 days SD). Growth rates for 23 juveniles ranged from 0.0 to 9.5 cm year−1 (mean 4.1 ± 2.4 cm year−1SD). Annual mean growth rates were non-monotonic, with the largest mean growth rate occurring in the 30–39 cm CCL size class. Gastric lavages indicated that Zoanthids were the primary food source for hawksbills. These results contribute to our understanding of juvenile hawksbill ecology and serve as a baseline for future studies or inventories of hawksbills in the Caribbean.

Ecology of juvenile hawksbills ( Eretmochelys imbricata ) at Buck Island Reef National Monument, US Virgin Islands

Kuwait's marine biodiversity: Qualitative assessment of indicator habitats and species

Habitat features influence the distribution and abundance of marine animals and are used to identify critical areas to protect threatened marine species. In this study, we surveyed juvenile hawksbill turtles in 5 localities of the Culebra Archipelago, Puerto Rico; described the habitats using cover of benthic features; and related relative abundance of turtles among localities with food availability. We tested the hypothesis that variability in turtle abundance among study sites was related to spatial variability in the availability of diet items. Our results point out that spatial variability in turtle abundance is not related to food availability by itself; rather, the structural complexity and types of benthic structure played a more important role in explaining the turtles' local abundance. The importance of structural complexity is most likely related to sheltering.

Effect of Food Availability on the Abundance of Juvenile Hawksbill Sea Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in Inshore Aggregation Areas of the Culebra Archipelago, Puerto Rico

Recent literature on foraging in Hawksbill Sea Turtles in the Caribbean region concludes that prey selectivity is a combination of preference for certain prey species and their local abundance. In this study, prey selectivity patterns were measured in five juvenile Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) aggregations in the Culebra Archipelago, Puerto Rico, and the hypothesis that juvenile Hawksbill Sea Turtles exhibit selectivity for certain prey items independent of their environmental availability was tested. Hawksbill Sea Turtles showed positive selection for the corallimorph Ricordea florida, which was rare in all four study sites, and for the alga Lobophora variegata, that was abundant in one site. Turtles exhibited low preference for the sponge Chondrilla nucula, the most common prey item in both diet samples and the environment at all study sites. Low preference for this sponge corresponds to its high availability in the environment. Turtles also exhibited low preference for the spo...

https://bioone.org/journals/Journal-of-Herpetology/volume-45/issue-3/10-120.1/Foraging-Selectivity-of-the-Hawksbill-Sea-Turtle-Eretmochelys-imbricata-in/10.1670/10-120.1.pdf

Foraging Selectivity of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Culebra Archipelago, Puerto Rico

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Foraging Selectivity of the Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the Culebra Archipelago, Puerto Rico