Somatic growth rates for a hawksbill turtle population in coral reef habitat around Barbados

Marine Ecology Progress Series

Milani Y. Chaloupka¹  Barry H. Krueger¹  Jennifer A. Dunn¹  Julia A. Horrocks¹  Patrick A. Leighton¹ 

关键词: Eretmochelys imbricata;    Growth rate modelling;    Barbados;    Developmental habitat;    Foraging ground;    Density-dependent effect;    Generalized additive mixed model;   

DOI  :  10.3354/meps09125

学科分类：海洋学与技术

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: A generalized additive mixed modelling approach was used to investigate the somatic growth of hawksbill turtles Eretmochelys imbricata (23.7 to 80 cm curved carapace length [CCL]) on nearshore coral reef sites around Barbados at depths of 12 to 35 m. The effects of body size, sex, ­sampling year, recapture interval and an indicator of foraging habitat quality on growth rates were ­investigated. The model accounted for about 60% of the variance in growth rates, but only mean size and sampling year were significant predictors. The growth rate function was nonmonotonic, with peak growth (3.4 cm yr^–1) occurring in turtles with a CCL between 30 and 35 cm. The lower growth rates recorded for smaller turtles may reflect a period when sea turtles newly recruiting from pelagic to neritic habitats are adapting to a change in diet. The decline in growth rates with sampling year over the 10 yr study may reflect density-dependent effects on growth. Declining growth rates may prompt large juveniles to leave the Barbados foraging ground to settle elsewhere to grow to maturity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown