Title
Determining origin in a migratory marine vertebrate: A novel method to integrate stable isotopes and satellite tracking
Date Issued
01 March 2015
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Zanden H.B.V.
Tucker A.D.
Hart K.M.
Lamont M.M.
Fujisaki I.
Addison D.S.
Mansfield K.L.
Phillips K.F.
Wunder M.B.
Bowen G.J.
Bolten A.B.
Bjorndal K.A.
Universidad de Florida
Publisher(s)
Ecological Society of America
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis is a useful tool to track animalmovements in both terrestrial and marine environments. These intrinsic markers are assimilated through the diet and may exhibit spatial gradients as a result of biogeochemical processes at the base of the food web. In the marine environment, maps to predict the spatial distribution of stable isotopes are limited, and thus determining geographic origin has been reliant upon integrating satellite telemetry and stable isotope data. Migratory sea turtles regularly move between foraging and reproductive areas. Whereasmost nesting populations can be easily accessed and regularly monitored, little is known about the demographic trends in foraging populations. The purpose of the present study was to examine migration patterns of loggerhead nesting aggregations in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), where sea turtles have been historically understudied. Two methods of geographic assignment using stable isotope values in known-origin samples from satellite telemetry were compared: (1) a nominal approach through discriminant analysis and (2) a novel continuous-surface approach using bivariate carbon and nitrogen isoscapes (isotopic landscapes) developed for this study. Tissue samples for stable isotope analysis were obtained from 60 satellite-tracked individuals at five nesting beaches within the GoM. Both methodological approaches for assignment resulted in high accuracy of foraging area determination, though each has advantages and disadvantages. The nominal approach is more appropriatewhen defined boundaries are necessary, but up to 42% of the individuals could not be considered in this approach. All individuals can be included in the continuous-surface approach, and individual results can be aggregated to identify geographic hotspots of foraging area use, though the accuracy rate was lower than nominal assignment. The methodological validation provides a foundation for future sea turtle studies in the region to inexpensively determine geographic origin for large numbers of untracked individuals. Regular monitoring of sea turtle nesting aggregations with stable isotope sampling can be used to fill critical data gaps regarding habitat use and migration patterns. Probabilistic assignment to origin with isoscapes has not been previously used in the marine environment, but themethods presented here could also be applied to other migratory marine species.
Start page
320
End page
335
Volume
25
Issue
2
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
EcologĂa
BiologĂa marina, BiologĂa de agua dulce, LimnologĂa
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-84964270170
PubMed ID
Source
Ecological Applications
ISSN of the container
19395582
Sponsor(s)
The authors thank J. Curtis for stable isotope analyses; P. Eliazar and T. Kaufman for help with sample preparation; B. Stephens and C. Hackett for sample collection on EAFB and SJP; A. Crowder, T. Selby, M. Cherkiss, A. Daniels, and B. Smith with field work at DRTO; and one anonymous reviewer for comments that improved the manuscript. All sample collection was made in compliance with the University of Florida Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IA-CUC) protocol 201101985, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission permits MTP-016, 094, 155, and 176, USGS IACUC protocol USGS-SESC-2011-05 issued to K. Hart and Dry Tortugas permit DRTO-2012-SCI-0008. This study was funded by a grant awarded from the Sea Turtle Grants Program. The Sea Turtle Grants Program is funded from proceeds from the sale of the Florida Sea Turtle License Plate; learn more at www.helpingseaturtles.org. The deployment of satellite tags and the collection of the scute samples by field staff would not have been possible without the institutional support of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Mote Marine Laboratory and U.S. Geological Survey. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Sources of information:
Directorio de ProducciĂłn CientĂfica
Scopus