Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Strong site fidelity and longer internesting interval for solitary nesting olive ridley sea turtles in Brazil

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Olive ridley sea turtles display two different types of nesting behavior: in arribada (synchronous mass nesting) or solitarily. Contrarily to arribadas, little has been published about solitary nesters. This study aimed to expand the knowledge on internesting interval and site fidelity of solitary nesting olive ridleys and to test a possible development of arribada nesting behavior. Data were collected in Sergipe (Brazil) over 125 km of beach from 10°30′S/36º23′W to 11°26′S/37º19′W, between nesting seasons 2004/2005 and 2006/2007. From 962 tagged females, 173 were seen renesting. The average internesting interval found was longer (22.35 ± 7.01 days) than previously described, which might relate to lower water temperatures during the internesting period. Olive ridleys at Sergipe showed high nesting site fidelity, with consecutive nesting events occurring in close proximity, non-randomly and dependently of previous events. Most of the consecutive nests were separated by 4.06–5.59 km. Development of arribada nesting behavior was not confirmed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alvarado J, Murphy T (1999) Nesting periodicity and internesting behavior. In: Eckert KL, Bjorndal KA, Abreu-Grobois FA, Donnelly M (eds) Research and management techniques for the conservation of sea turtles. IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group Publication No.4, pp 115–118, ISBN 2-8317-0364-6

  • Balazs GH (1999) Factors to consider in the tagging of sea turtles. In: Eckert KL, Bjorndal KA, Abreu-Grobois FA, Donnelly M (eds) Research and management techniques for the conservation of sea turtles. IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group Publication No.4, pp 101–109. ISBN 2-8317-0364-6

  • Bernardo J, Plotkin P (2007) An evolutionary perspective on the arribada phenomenon and reproductive behavioral polymorphism of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea). In: Plotkin PT (ed) Biology and conservation of ridley sea turtles. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, pp 59–87. ISBN 978-0-8018-8611-9

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolten AB (1999) Techniques for measuring sea turtles. In: Eckert KL, Bjorndal KA, Abreu-Grobois FA, and Donnelly M (eds) Research and management techniques for the conservation of sea turtles. IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group Publication No.4, pp 110–114, ISBN 2-8317-0364-6

  • Bowen B, Clark A, Abreu-Grobois F, Chaves A, Reichart H, Ferl R (1998) Global phylogeography of the ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys spp.) as inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences. Genetica 101:179–189. doi:10.1023/A:1018382415005

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carr A, Carr MH (1972) Site fixity in the Caribbean green turtle. Ecology 53(3):425–429

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castilhos JC, Tiwari M (2006) Preliminary data and observations from an increasing olive ridley population in Sergipe, Brazil. Mar Turt Newsl 113:6–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaloupka MY, Musick JA (1997) Age, growth and population dynamics. In: Lutz PL, Musick JA (eds) The biology of sea turtles. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 233–276. ISBN 0-8493-8422-2

    Google Scholar 

  • Davenport J (1997) Temperature and the life-history strategies of sea turtles. J Therm Biol 22(6):479–488. doi:10.1016/S0306-4565(97)00066-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godfrey M, Chevalier J (2004) The status of olive ridley sea turtles in the West Atlantic. Report for the Marine Turtle Specialist Group—SSC/IUCN. http://members.seaturtle.org/godfreym/Godfrey2004MTSG.pdf. Accessed 25 Mar 2011

  • Hamel MA, McMahon CR, Bradshaw CJA (2008) Flexible inter-nesting behavior of generalist olive ridley turtles in Australia. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 359:47–54. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2008.02.019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hays GC, Broderick AC, Glen F, Godley BJ, Houghton JDR, Metcalfe JD (2002) Water temperature and internesting intervals for loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles. J Therm Biol 27:429–432. doi:10.1016/S0306-4565(02)00012-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes GR (1972) The olive ridley sea-turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in south-east Africa. Biol Conserv 4(2):128–134. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(72)90014-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalb HJ (1999) Behavior and physiology of solitary and arribada nesting olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) during the internesting period. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, Texas

  • Kamel SJ, Mrosovsky N (2005) Repeatability of nesting preferences in the hawksbill sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, and their fitness consequences. Anim Behav 70:819–828. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.01.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcovaldi M (2001) Status and distribution of the olive ridley turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, in the western Atlantic Ocean. In: Eckert KL, Abreu-Grobois FA (eds) Proceedings of the regional meeting: “Marine Turtle Conservation in the Wider Caribbean Region: A Dialogue for Effective Regional Management,” Santo Domingo, 16–18 November 1999. WIDECAST, IUCN-MTSG, WWF and UNEP-CEP, pp 52–56

  • Marcovaldi MA, Laurent A (1996) A six season study of marine turtles nesting at Praia do Forte, Bahia, Brazil, with implications for conservation and management. Chelonian Conserv Biol 2:55–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcovaldi M, Marcovaldi G (1999) Marine turtles of Brazil: the history and structure of Projeto TAMAR-IBAMA. Biol Conserv 91:35–41. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00043-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcovaldi MA, Sales G, Thomé JCA, Silva ACCD, Gallo BMG, Lima EHSM, Lima EP, Bellini C (2006) Sea turtles and fishery interactions in Brazil: identifying and mitigating potential conflicts. Mar Turt Newsl 112:4–8

    Google Scholar 

  • Matos LM, Silva AC, Weber MI, Castilhos JC, Vicente LM (2008) Olive ridley sea turtle internesting intervals at Pirambu, Brazil. In: Rees AF, Frick M, Panagopoulou A, Williams K (eds) Proceedings of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, NOAA Technical Memorandum, p 242, (NMFS-SEFSC-569)

  • Maxwell SM, Breed GA, Nickel BA, Makanga-Bahouna J, Pemo-Makaya E et al (2011) Using satellite tracking to optimize protection of long-lives marine species: olive ridley sea turtle conservation in Central Africa. PLoS ONE 6(5):e19905. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0019905

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mazaris AD, Kornaraki E, Matsinos Y, Margaritoulis D (2004) Modeling the effect of sea surface temperature on sea turtle nesting activities by investigating seasonal trends. Nat Resour Model 17(4):445–465. doi:10.1111/j.1939-7445.2004.tb00145.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller J (1997) Reproduction in sea turtles. In: Lutz PL, Musick JA (eds) The biology of sea turtles. CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp 51–81. ISBN 0-8493-8422-2

    Google Scholar 

  • Minarik C (1985) Lepidochelys olivacea (olive ridley sea turtle): reproduction. Herpetol Rev 16(3):82

    Google Scholar 

  • Naranjo I, Arauz R (2004) Inter and intraseasonal nesting intervals of solitary nesting olive ridley sea turtles in Punta Banco, Puntarenas, and San Miguel, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, from 1996 to 2001. In: Coyne MS, Clark RD (eds) Proceedings of the Twenty First Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Technical Memorandum, pp 261–262, (NMFS-SEFSC-528)

  • Nordmoe E, Sieg A, Sotherland P, Spotila J, Paladino F, Reina R (2004) Nest site fidelity of leatherback turtles at Playa Grande, Costa Rica. Anim Behav 68:387–394. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.07.015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plot V, Thoisy B, Blanc S, Kelle L, Lavergne A et al (2011) Reproductive synchrony in a recovering bottlenecked sea turtle population. J Anim Ecol (published online). doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01915.x

    Google Scholar 

  • Plotkin PT (1994) Migratory and reproductive behavior of the olive ridley turtle Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz, 1829), in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, Texas

  • Plotkin PT, Bernardo J (2008) The real riddle of the ridley: should we conserve arribada nesting populations? Solitary nesting populations? Both? In: Rees AF, Frick M, Panagopoulou A, Williams K (eds) Proceedings of the Twenty-Seventh Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Technical Memorandum, p 103, (NMFS-SEFSC-569)

  • Pritchard PCH (1969a) Sea turtles of the Guianas. Bull Fla State Mus Biol Sci 13(2):85–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Pritchard PCH (1969b) Studies of the systematics and reproduction of the genus Lepidochelys. Dissertation, University of Florida, Florida

  • Sato K, Sakamoto W, Matsuzawa Y, Tanaka H, Bando T, Minamikawa S, Naito Y (1995) Body temperature independence of solar radiation in free-ranging loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, during internesting periods. Mar Biol 123:197–205. doi:10.1007/BF00353611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sato K, Matsuzawa Y, Tanaka H, Bando T, Minamikawa S, Sakamoto W, Naito Y (1998) Internesting intervals for loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, and green turtles, Chelonia mydas, are affected by temperature. Can J Zool 76(9):1651–1662. doi:10.1139/cjz-76-9-1651

    Google Scholar 

  • Schroeder BA, Foley AM, Bagley DA (2003) Nesting patterns, reproductive migrations and adult foraging areas of loggerhead turtles. In: Bolten AB, Witherington BE (eds) Loggerhead sea turtles. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, pp 114–124 ISSN

    Google Scholar 

  • Schultz JP (1975) Sea turtles nesting in Surinam. Zool Verhandelingen Rijksmus Nat Hist Leiden 143:3–172

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva A, Castilhos J, Lopez G, Barata P (2007) Nesting biology and conservation of the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Brazil, 1991/1992 to 2002/2003. J Mar Biol Assoc U K 87:1047–1056. doi:10.1017/S0025315407056378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva ACCD, Castilhos JC, Santos EAP, Brondízio LS, Bugoni L (2010) Efforts to reduce sea turtle bycatch in the shrimp fishery in Northeastern Brazil through a co-management process. Ocean Coast Manag 53(9):570–576. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2010.06.016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva ACCD, Santos EAP, Oliveira FLC, Weber MI, Batista JAF, Serafini TZ, Castilhos JC (2011) Satellite-tracking reveals multiple foraging strategies and threats for olive ridley turtles in Brazil. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 443:237–247. doi:10.3354/meps09427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snover ML, Hohn AA, Crowder LB, Heppell SS (2007) Age and growth in Kemp’s ridley sea turtles: evidence from mark-recapture and skeletochronology. In: Plotkin PT (ed) Biology and conservation of ridley sea turtles. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, pp 89–105. ISBN 978-0-8018-8611-9

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomé JCA, Marcovaldi MA, Marcovaldi GG, Bellini C, Gallo BMG, Lima EHSM, Silva ACCD, Sales G, Barata PCR (2003) An overview of Projeto TAMAR—IBAMA’s activities in relation to the incidental capture of sea turtles in the Brazilian fisheries. In: Seminoff JA (ed) Proceedings of the Twenty-Second Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Technical Memorandum, pp 119–120, (NMFS-SEFSC-503)

  • Webster WD, Cook KA (2001) Intraseasonal nesting activity of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in southeastern North Carolina. Am Midl Nat 145(1):66–73. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2001)145[0066:INAOLS]

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whiting SD, Long JL, Coyne M (2007) Migration routes and foraging behavior of olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea in northern Australia. Endanger Species Res 3:1–9. doi:10.3354/esr003001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zar J (1999) Biostatistical analysis, 4th edn. Prentice-Hall International (UK) Ltd, London, p 663. ISBN 0-13-081542-X

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge all fishermen, local agents and communities of Sergipe for the collaboration on the conservation program, as well as all trainees/university students and TAMAR field station managers, for helping with data collection. We are also grateful to Sílvia Rosa, Cristina Lopes, Alberto Abreu-Grobois, Tatiana Salvador and Sara Maxwell for revision of the manuscript. Special thanks to all TAMAR personnel. Projeto TAMAR is affiliated to ICMBio, is co-managed by Fundação Pró-TAMAR and officially sponsored by Petrobras.

Ethical Standards

Metal tagging of flippers used in this study is a widespread and frequent approach used in mark–recapture programs designed for long-term monitoring of individual sea turtles (Chaloupka and Musick 1997). So far, we have never noticed any adverse effect on the turtle’s behavior and well-being throughout our long-term monitoring program. All procedures were approved by ICMBio—Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (national institute for biodiversity conservation).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Lélia Matos

    Present address: MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, P.O. 33 04 40, 28334, Bremen, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, C2-P3 Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal

    Lélia Matos & Luís Vicente

  2. Projeto TAMAR-ICMBio, Centro Nacional de Conservação, Pesquisa e Manejo das Tartarugas Marinhas, ReBio Santa Isabel s/n, Pirambu, SE, 49190-000, Brazil

    Augusto C. C. D. Silva

  3. Fundação Pró-TAMAR, Fundação Centro Brasileiro de Proteção e Pesquisa das Tartarugas Marinhas, Av Santos Dumont s/n, 2ª etapa da Orla de Atalaia, Aracaju, SE, 49035-485, Brazil

    Jaqueline C. Castilhos & Marilda I. Weber

  4. Fundação Pró-TAMAR, Fundação Centro Brasileiro de Proteção e Pesquisa das Tartarugas Marinhas, Cx. Postal 2219, Rio Vermelho, Salvador, BA, 41950-970, Brazil

    Luciano S. Soares

Authors
  1. Lélia Matos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Augusto C. C. D. Silva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jaqueline C. Castilhos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marilda I. Weber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Luciano S. Soares
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Luís Vicente
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lélia Matos.

Additional information

Communicated by R. Lewison.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Matos, L., Silva, A.C.C.D., Castilhos, J.C. et al. Strong site fidelity and longer internesting interval for solitary nesting olive ridley sea turtles in Brazil. Mar Biol 159, 1011–1019 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1881-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-012-1881-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation