Ecosphere (May 2016)
Somatic growth dynamics of West Atlantic hawksbill sea turtles: a spatio‐temporal perspective
- Karen A. Bjorndal,
- Milani Chaloupka,
- Vincent S. Saba,
- Carlos E. Diez,
- Robert P. van Dam,
- Barry H. Krueger,
- Julia A. Horrocks,
- Armando J. B. Santos,
- Cláudio Bellini,
- Maria A. G. Marcovaldi,
- Mabel Nava,
- Sue Willis,
- Brendan J. Godley,
- Shannon Gore,
- Lucy A. Hawkes,
- Andrew McGowan,
- Matthew J. Witt,
- Thomas B. Stringell,
- Amdeep Sanghera,
- Peter B. Richardson,
- Annette C. Broderick,
- Quinton Phillips,
- Marta C. Calosso,
- John A. B. Claydon,
- Janice Blumenthal,
- Felix Moncada,
- Gonzalo Nodarse,
- Yosvani Medina,
- Stephen G. Dunbar,
- Lawrence D. Wood,
- Cynthia J. Lagueux,
- Cathi L. Campbell,
- Anne B. Meylan,
- Peter A. Meylan,
- Virginia R. Burns Perez,
- Robin A. Coleman,
- Samantha Strindberg,
- Vicente Guzmán‐H.,
- Kristen M. Hart,
- Michael S. Cherkiss,
- Zandy Hillis‐Starr,
- Ian F. Lundgren,
- Ralf H. Boulon Jr,
- Stephen Connett,
- Mark E. Outerbridge,
- Alan B. Bolten
Affiliations
- Karen A. Bjorndal
- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida 32611 USA
- Milani Chaloupka
- Ecological Modelling Services P/L University of Queensland St Lucia Queensland 4067 Australia
- Vincent S. Saba
- NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center c/o Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Princeton University Forrestal Campus Princeton New Jersey 08540 USA
- Carlos E. Diez
- Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales San Juan Puerto Rico 00936 USA
- Robert P. van Dam
- Chelonia Inc. San Juan Puerto Rico 00902 USA
- Barry H. Krueger
- Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus St Michael Barbados
- Julia A. Horrocks
- Department of Biological & Chemical Sciences University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus St Michael Barbados
- Armando J. B. Santos
- Fundação Pró‐TAMAR Fernando de Noronha Pernambuco 53990‐000 Brazil
- Cláudio Bellini
- Centro Tamar‐ICMBio, Base Parnamirim Parnamirim Rio Grande do Norte 59160‐530 Brazil
- Maria A. G. Marcovaldi
- Fundação Pró‐TAMAR, Itaigara Salvador Bahia 41815–135 Brazil
- Mabel Nava
- Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire Bonaire Dutch Caribbean
- Sue Willis
- Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire Bonaire Dutch Caribbean
- Brendan J. Godley
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation University of Exeter Penryn TR10 9FE UK
- Shannon Gore
- Association of Reef Keepers Tortola British Virgin Islands
- Lucy A. Hawkes
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation University of Exeter Penryn TR10 9FE UK
- Andrew McGowan
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation University of Exeter Penryn TR10 9FE UK
- Matthew J. Witt
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn TR10 9FE UK
- Thomas B. Stringell
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation University of Exeter Penryn TR10 9FE UK
- Amdeep Sanghera
- Marine Conservation Society Ross‐on‐Wye Herefordshire HR9 5NB UK
- Peter B. Richardson
- Marine Conservation Society Ross‐on‐Wye Herefordshire HR9 5NB UK
- Annette C. Broderick
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation University of Exeter Penryn TR10 9FE UK
- Quinton Phillips
- Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs South Caicos Turks and Caicos Islands
- Marta C. Calosso
- The School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies South Caicos Turks and Caicos Islands
- John A. B. Claydon
- The School for Field Studies Center for Marine Resource Studies South Caicos Turks and Caicos Islands
- Janice Blumenthal
- Department of Environment Grand Cayman KY1‐1002 Cayman Islands
- Felix Moncada
- Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras La Habana CP 19100 Cuba
- Gonzalo Nodarse
- Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras La Habana CP 19100 Cuba
- Yosvani Medina
- Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras La Habana CP 19100 Cuba
- Stephen G. Dunbar
- Protective Turtle Ecology Center for Training, Outreach, and Research, Inc. c/o Department of Earth and Biological Sciences Loma Linda University Loma Linda California 92350 USA
- Lawrence D. Wood
- National Save The Sea Turtle Foundation Ft. Lauderdale Florida 33308 USA
- Cynthia J. Lagueux
- Wildlife Conservation Society Global Conservation Program Bronx New York 10460 USA
- Cathi L. Campbell
- Wildlife Conservation Society Global Conservation Program Bronx New York 10460 USA
- Anne B. Meylan
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute St. Petersburg Florida 33701 USA
- Peter A. Meylan
- Natural Sciences Collegium Eckerd College St. Petersburg Florida 33711 USA
- Virginia R. Burns Perez
- Wildlife Conservation Society‐Belize Belize City Belize
- Robin A. Coleman
- Wildlife Conservation Society‐Belize Belize City Belize
- Samantha Strindberg
- Wildlife Conservation Society Global Conservation Program Bronx New York 10460 USA
- Vicente Guzmán‐H.
- Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas – Área de Protección de Flora y Fauna “Laguna de Términos” Ciudad Del Carmen Campeche México
- Kristen M. Hart
- U.S. Geological Survey Southeast Ecological Science Center Davie Florida 33314 USA
- Michael S. Cherkiss
- U.S. Geological Survey Southeast Ecological Science Center Davie Florida 33314 USA
- Zandy Hillis‐Starr
- National Park Service Buck Island Reef National Monument, Christiansted St. Croix US Virgin Islands 00821 USA
- Ian F. Lundgren
- National Park Service Buck Island Reef National Monument, Christiansted St. Croix US Virgin Islands 00821 USA
- Ralf H. Boulon Jr
- National Park Service, Retired St. John US Virgin Islands 00802 USA
- Stephen Connett
- Family Island Sea Turtle Research and Education Newport Rhode Island 02840 USA
- Mark E. Outerbridge
- Department of Conservation Services Hamilton Parish Bermuda
- Alan B. Bolten
- Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida 32611 USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1279
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 7,
no. 5
pp. n/a – n/a
Abstract
Abstract Somatic growth dynamics are an integrated response to environmental conditions. Hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are long‐lived, major consumers in coral reef habitats that move over broad geographic areas (hundreds to thousands of kilometers). We evaluated spatio‐temporal effects on hawksbill growth dynamics over a 33‐yr period and 24 study sites throughout the West Atlantic and explored relationships between growth dynamics and climate indices. We compiled the largest ever data set on somatic growth rates for hawksbills – 3541 growth increments from 1980 to 2013. Using generalized additive mixed model analyses, we evaluated 10 covariates, including spatial and temporal variation, that could affect growth rates. Growth rates throughout the region responded similarly over space and time. The lack of a spatial effect or spatio‐temporal interaction and the very strong temporal effect reveal that growth rates in West Atlantic hawksbills are likely driven by region‐wide forces. Between 1997 and 2013, mean growth rates declined significantly and steadily by 18%. Regional climate indices have significant relationships with annual growth rates with 0‐ or 1‐yr lags: positive with the Multivariate El Niño Southern Oscillation Index (correlation = 0.99) and negative with Caribbean sea surface temperature (correlation = −0.85). Declines in growth rates between 1997 and 2013 throughout the West Atlantic most likely resulted from warming waters through indirect negative effects on foraging resources of hawksbills. These climatic influences are complex. With increasing temperatures, trajectories of decline of coral cover and availability in reef habitats of major prey species of hawksbills are not parallel. Knowledge of how choice of foraging habitats, prey selection, and prey abundance are affected by warming water temperatures is needed to understand how climate change will affect productivity of consumers that live in association with coral reefs.
Keywords
- climate effects
- coral reefs
- Eretmochelys imbricata
- Greater Caribbean
- marine turtles
- multivariate ENSO index
