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Long-term growth and survival dynamics of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at an isolated tropical archipelago in Brazil

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Abstract

For effective management of species of conservation concern, knowledge of life history parameters is essential. Here, we present the results of one of the longest ongoing capture-mark-recapture studies of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) worldwide. From 1988 to 2013, 1,279 individual turtles were tagged in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil (3°51′S, 32°25′W). The size distribution at first capture varied between 27 and 87 cm (mean ± SD 47.9 ± 11.3 cm) curved carapace length (CCL). Median residence time was 2.4 year (with long-term residence of up to 11.2 year), with individuals exhibiting some site fidelity within the Archipelago. Turtles at this site are slow growing (mean 2.6 ± 1.6 cm year−1; range −0.9 to 7.9 cm year−1; n = 1,022), with a non-monotonic expected growth rate function and a peak in growth rates occurring at 50–60 cm CCL. At these rates, turtles in Fernando de Noronha would need to spend ca. 22 years to grow from 30 to 87 cm CCL and even longer to reach minimum adult breeding size. A Cormack–Jolly–Seber model was used to estimate the apparent survival of the residents and recapture probabilities (2001–2012). The estimated annual abundance ranged from 420 to 1,148 individuals. Confidence around abundance estimates was low, and there was no significant trend over the period, despite steep recent increases at the major source rookery. Slow growth and stable stocking numbers may be suggestive of density-dependent regulation having taken place following initial population recovery that occurred prior to the current study.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to all Projeto TAMAR staff members who helped collect the data analysed in this study. Data collection was authorised by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) under licence number 14122, issued by the Biodiversity Authorization and Information System (SISBIO). I especially thank Dr. Paulo Barata, Jennifer McDonald, Dr. David Hodgson, Isabel Noon and Dominic Tilley for helping in the preparation of this manuscript and also the commercial diving operators who have collaborated with the turtle captures. Projeto TAMAR, a conservation programme of the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, is affiliated with ICMBio and is co-managed by Fundação Pró-TAMAR. The manuscript benefited from the input of the editor and three anonymous reviewers.

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  1. Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, UK

    Liliana P. Colman, Ana Rita C. Patrício, Andrew McGowan & Brendan J. Godley

  2. Fundação Pró-TAMAR, Rua Rubens Guelli 134 sala 307 - Itaigara, Salvador, BA, 41815-135, Brazil

    Liliana P. Colman, Armando J. B. Santos & Maria Ângela Marcovaldi

  3. Projeto TAMAR-ICMBio, CLBI-Setor Oeste, Avenida Joaquim Patrício 4000, Distrito Litoral-Pium, Parnamirim, RN, 59160-530, Brazil

    Cláudio Bellini

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Colman, L.P., Patrício, A.R.C., McGowan, A. et al. Long-term growth and survival dynamics of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at an isolated tropical archipelago in Brazil. Mar Biol 162, 111–122 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2585-5

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