Abstract
Assessing the distribution, density, and abundance of organisms is essential for conservation and management of imperiled species. Simple counts of sampled individuals are often inadequate to make such estimates. This is especially true for highly mobile marine animals like green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). We used distance sampling and density surface model techniques to generate estimates of green turtle abundance on foraging grounds at the Eastern Quicksands, located west of Key West, Florida, USA. From 2006 to 2018, we conducted 18 surveys of six standardized transect lines from which we estimated abundances, plotted spatial distributions, and identified spatial segregation of life stages using density surface models and null model analysis. The Eastern Quicksands represent one of the densest foraging aggregations of green turtles worldwide. Spatial segregation of Large Juvenile and Adult turtles was evident, which we hypothesize may be due to benthic habitat preferences and differing predator detection and avoidance strategies among the sea turtle life stages. Given the high green turtle densities in this foraging area, and recent increases in Florida green turtle nesting, combined with anthropogenic stressors to seagrass pastures, we foresee management concerns for long-term sustainability of seagrass at the Eastern Quicksands and recommend that this area be given Critical Habitat designation.
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The R-code generated during the current study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
All sampling was conducted under FWC Marine Turtle Permit 125 and NMFS permit 21169. We thank J. Gorham, M. Bresette, B. Witherington, S. Traxler, C. Mott, J. Guertin, R. Chabot, D. Bagely, D. Clark, C. Keske, S. Weege, A. Michaels and P. Quintana-Ascencio for their assistance with study design, field work, analyses, and data management. We would like to thank N. Schroeder for lending crucial statistical help through one simple email. We also thank all the IRG staff, collaborators, and volunteers who assisted with data collection over the years. We thank the reviewers for their critical input on this manuscript. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Sea Turtle License Plate Grants Program, the Gulf of Mexico Foundation Gulf Star Grants, and an anonymous donor to the Fidelity Charitable Trust for the financial support that they have provided for this project.
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This study was funded by Inwater Research Group, the Sea Turtle License Plate Grants Program, the Gulf of Mexico Foundation Gulf Star Grants, and an anonymous donation to the Fidelity Charitable Trust.
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RCW conceived of and designed the study, collected the data, analyzed, and wrote the manuscript. KLM contributed to study design, suggested analyses, and assisted with the writing and editing of the paper.
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Welsh, R.C., Mansfield, K.L. Intraspecific spatial segregation on a green turtle foraging ground in the Florida Keys, USA. Mar Biol 169, 22 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-04012-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-021-04012-9