Skeletochronological estimation of age and growth of loggerhead sea turtles ( Caretta caretta) in the western South Atlantic Ocean
Abstract Age and growth are important parameters for better understanding of life history and population dynamics of animal species, as well as for formulating management strategies. However, these data are difficult to obtain for sea turtles because of overall slow growth, delayed maturation and hi...
| Published in: | Austral Ecology |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/aec.12347 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Faec.12347 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/aec.12347 |
| Summary: | Abstract Age and growth are important parameters for better understanding of life history and population dynamics of animal species, as well as for formulating management strategies. However, these data are difficult to obtain for sea turtles because of overall slow growth, delayed maturation and highly migratory behaviour. The loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta , is a widely distributed species, globally listed as endangered. Although the species has been well‐studied in some regions, little is known about various aspects of its biology in other populations, such as those in the waters of the western South Atlantic Ocean, especially outside nesting areas. To address age and growth, loggerhead turtles found dead stranded on the northern coast of the state of Rio Grande do Sul during a period of 16 years (1994–2010) were utilized for estimation of age and growth rates using skeletochronology. The individuals analyzed were predominantly neritic juveniles, ranging from 53 to 101 cm curved carapace length (CCL; mean = 71 cm), with estimated ages between 10 and 29 years (mean = 15 years). Mean estimated annual growth rate was 2.1 cm CCL year −1 (1.9 cm SCL yr −1 ), showing large variation among individuals and between successive years in the same individual. Generalized additive mixed models analysis indicated that growth response was influenced by age, CCL and year. The results demonstrated that the southern coast of Brazil is an important area for the development of neritic juveniles of this species, which appear to recruit to this region beginning at about 12 years of age and sizes greater than 55 cm CCL. |
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