Temporal, spatial, and body size effects on growth rates of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northwest Atlantic
October 1, 2013
In response to a call from the US National Research Council for research programs to combine their data to improve sea turtle population assessments, we analyzed somatic growth data for Northwest Atlantic (NWA) loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from 10 research programs. We assessed growth dynamics over wide ranges of geography (9–33°N latitude), time (1978–2012), and body size (35.4–103.3 cm carapace length). Generalized additive models revealed significant spatial and temporal variation in growth rates and a significant decline in growth rates with increasing body size. Growth was more rapid in waters south of the USA (<24°N) than in USA waters. Growth dynamics in southern waters in the NWA need more study because sample size was small. Within USA waters, the significant spatial effect in growth rates of immature loggerheads did not exhibit a consistent latitudinal trend. Growth rates declined significantly from 1997 through 2007 and then leveled off or increased. During this same interval, annual nest counts in Florida declined by 43 % (Witherington et al. in Ecol Appl 19:30–54, 2009) before rebounding. Whether these simultaneous declines reflect responses in productivity to a common environmental change should be explored to determine whether somatic growth rates can help interpret population trends based on annual counts of nests or nesting females. Because of the significant spatial and temporal variation in growth rates, population models of NWA loggerheads should avoid employing growth data from restricted spatial or temporal coverage to calculate demographic metrics such as age at sexual maturity.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2013 |
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Title | Temporal, spatial, and body size effects on growth rates of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Northwest Atlantic |
DOI | 10.1007/s00227-013-2264-y |
Authors | Karen A. Bjorndal, Barbara A. Schroeder, Allen M. Foley, Blair E. Witherington, Michael Bresette, David Clark, Richard M. Herren, Michael D. Arendt, Jeffrey R. Schmid, Anne B. Meylan, Peter A. Meylan, Jane A. Provancha, Kristen M. Hart, Margaret M. Lamont, Raymond R. Carthy, Alan B. Bolten |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Marine Biology |
Index ID | 70057609 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
USGS Organization | Southeast Ecological Science Center |
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Kristen Hart, Ph.D.
Research Ecologist
Research Ecologist
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Margaret Lamont, Ph.D.
Research Biologist
Research Biologist
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Related
Kristen Hart, Ph.D.
Research Ecologist
Research Ecologist
Email
Phone
Margaret Lamont, Ph.D.
Research Biologist
Research Biologist
Email