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Long-term resource use and foraging specialization in male loggerhead turtles

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Abstract

Intra-population variation in resource use has been increasingly reported for different taxa. In particular, foraging specialization of individuals has been quantified for various generalist populations. Because individual differences in resource use can have a great effect on a population’s ecological and evolutionary dynamics, it is essential to accurately assess how individuals exploit resources. Recent studies have shown that female sea turtles exhibit long-term individual specialization in resource use. In this study, we used stable isotope analysis (δ15N and δ13C) of serially sampled sea turtle scutes from two foraging areas in the Northwest Atlantic to evaluate whether male loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) exhibit patterns in resource use over time similar to those reported for female turtles. We found that some male loggerheads show individual specialization and a long-term consistency in resource use over several years—which adds support to previous findings that male loggerheads exhibit site fidelity to their foraging areas—while others are less consistent or only exhibit consistency for shorter periods of time. This variation in patterns of resource use among male loggerheads appears to be linked to foraging area locations, which were characterized by distinct resource diversity. Thus, these results suggest that resource diversity (habitat and prey items) present at the foraging areas may affect the degree of temporal consistency in resource use and potentially individual foraging specialization in loggerheads. Understanding the drivers of intra-population variation in resource use in loggerheads will allow us to predict how they will respond to changing environmental conditions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the captains and crew of the RV’s Georgia Bulldog and Lady Lisa as well as J. Schwenter and J. Byrd for invaluable support during fieldwork. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, US National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation provided funding support for this project. For comments on earlier versions of the manuscript, we thank L. C. Majure, M. Brenner, B. MacFadden and two anonymous reviewers. We also thank J. Curtis and the Stable Isotope Lab at the University of Florida for assistance with stable isotope analysis. Turtle samples were collected in compliance with the National Marine Fisheries Service (Section 10(A)(1)(a) Permit #15566 and Permit #14622), Georgia DNR Scientific Collection Permit (CN21303), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Marine Turtle Permit #163), Everglades National Park (Permit # EVER-2012-SCI-0030) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the University of Florida. The statements, findings, conclusions and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Fish and Wildlife Service or any branch of the federal government.

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    Mariela Pajuelo, Karen A. Bjorndal & Alan B. Bolten

  2. Marine Resources Division, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA

    Michael D. Arendt

  3. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Jacksonville Field Laboratory, Jacksonville, FL, 32218, USA

    Allen M. Foley

  4. Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA

    Barbara A. Schroeder

  5. Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment, Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830, USA

    Blair E. Witherington

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  1. Mariela Pajuelo
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Correspondence to Mariela Pajuelo.

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Turtle samples were collected and processed in compliance with various scientific collection permits listed in acknowledgment section.

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Pajuelo, M., Bjorndal, K.A., Arendt, M.D. et al. Long-term resource use and foraging specialization in male loggerhead turtles. Mar Biol 163, 235 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-016-3013-9

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