Long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of an endangered species: an isotopic perspective
Evaluating long-term drivers of foraging ecology and population productivity is crucial for providing ecological baselines and forecasting species responses to future environmental conditions. Here, we examine the trophic ecology and habitat use of North Atlantic leatherback turtles (St. Croix nesti...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
eScholarship, University of California
2018
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9dm5t4h2 |
id |
ftcdlib:oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9dm5t4h2 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftcdlib:oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt9dm5t4h2 2023-11-05T03:43:53+01:00 Long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of an endangered species: an isotopic perspective Hetherington, Elizabeth D Seminoff, Jeffrey A Dutton, Peter H Robison, Lisa C Popp, Brian N Kurle, Carolyn M 1273 - 1285 2018-12-01 application/pdf https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9dm5t4h2 unknown eScholarship, University of California qt9dm5t4h2 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9dm5t4h2 public Oecologia, vol 188, iss 4 Biological Sciences Ecology Life on Land Animals Ecosystem Endangered Species Oceans and Seas Turtles United States Virgin Islands N-15 Foraging ecology Leatherback turtle Trophic position δ15N Evolutionary biology Zoology article 2018 ftcdlib 2023-10-09T18:07:40Z Evaluating long-term drivers of foraging ecology and population productivity is crucial for providing ecological baselines and forecasting species responses to future environmental conditions. Here, we examine the trophic ecology and habitat use of North Atlantic leatherback turtles (St. Croix nesting population) and investigate the effects of large-scale oceanographic conditions on leatherback foraging dynamics. We used bulk and compound-specific nitrogen isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA) to estimate leatherback trophic position (TP) over an 18-year period, compare these estimates with TP estimates from a Pacific leatherback population, and elucidate the pre-nesting habitat use patterns of leatherbacks. Our secondary objective was to use oceanographic indices and nesting information from St. Croix leatherbacks to evaluate relationships between trophic ecology, nesting parameters, and regional environmental conditions measured by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. We found no change in leatherback TP over time and no difference in TP between Atlantic and Pacific leatherbacks, indicating that differences in trophic ecology between populations are an unlikely driver of the population dichotomy between Pacific and Atlantic leatherbacks. Isotope data suggested that St. Croix leatherbacks inhabit multiple oceanic regions prior to nesting, although, like their conspecifics in the Pacific, individuals exhibit fidelity to specific foraging regions. Leatherback nesting parameters were weakly related to the NAO, which may suggest that positive NAO phases benefit St. Croix leatherbacks, potentially through increases in resource availability in their foraging areas. Our data contribute to the understanding of leatherback turtle ecology and potential mechanistic drivers of the dichotomy between populations of this protected species. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation University of California: eScholarship |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of California: eScholarship |
op_collection_id |
ftcdlib |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Biological Sciences Ecology Life on Land Animals Ecosystem Endangered Species Oceans and Seas Turtles United States Virgin Islands N-15 Foraging ecology Leatherback turtle Trophic position δ15N Evolutionary biology Zoology |
spellingShingle |
Biological Sciences Ecology Life on Land Animals Ecosystem Endangered Species Oceans and Seas Turtles United States Virgin Islands N-15 Foraging ecology Leatherback turtle Trophic position δ15N Evolutionary biology Zoology Hetherington, Elizabeth D Seminoff, Jeffrey A Dutton, Peter H Robison, Lisa C Popp, Brian N Kurle, Carolyn M Long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of an endangered species: an isotopic perspective |
topic_facet |
Biological Sciences Ecology Life on Land Animals Ecosystem Endangered Species Oceans and Seas Turtles United States Virgin Islands N-15 Foraging ecology Leatherback turtle Trophic position δ15N Evolutionary biology Zoology |
description |
Evaluating long-term drivers of foraging ecology and population productivity is crucial for providing ecological baselines and forecasting species responses to future environmental conditions. Here, we examine the trophic ecology and habitat use of North Atlantic leatherback turtles (St. Croix nesting population) and investigate the effects of large-scale oceanographic conditions on leatherback foraging dynamics. We used bulk and compound-specific nitrogen isotope analysis of amino acids (CSIA-AA) to estimate leatherback trophic position (TP) over an 18-year period, compare these estimates with TP estimates from a Pacific leatherback population, and elucidate the pre-nesting habitat use patterns of leatherbacks. Our secondary objective was to use oceanographic indices and nesting information from St. Croix leatherbacks to evaluate relationships between trophic ecology, nesting parameters, and regional environmental conditions measured by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. We found no change in leatherback TP over time and no difference in TP between Atlantic and Pacific leatherbacks, indicating that differences in trophic ecology between populations are an unlikely driver of the population dichotomy between Pacific and Atlantic leatherbacks. Isotope data suggested that St. Croix leatherbacks inhabit multiple oceanic regions prior to nesting, although, like their conspecifics in the Pacific, individuals exhibit fidelity to specific foraging regions. Leatherback nesting parameters were weakly related to the NAO, which may suggest that positive NAO phases benefit St. Croix leatherbacks, potentially through increases in resource availability in their foraging areas. Our data contribute to the understanding of leatherback turtle ecology and potential mechanistic drivers of the dichotomy between populations of this protected species. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hetherington, Elizabeth D Seminoff, Jeffrey A Dutton, Peter H Robison, Lisa C Popp, Brian N Kurle, Carolyn M |
author_facet |
Hetherington, Elizabeth D Seminoff, Jeffrey A Dutton, Peter H Robison, Lisa C Popp, Brian N Kurle, Carolyn M |
author_sort |
Hetherington, Elizabeth D |
title |
Long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of an endangered species: an isotopic perspective |
title_short |
Long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of an endangered species: an isotopic perspective |
title_full |
Long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of an endangered species: an isotopic perspective |
title_fullStr |
Long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of an endangered species: an isotopic perspective |
title_full_unstemmed |
Long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of an endangered species: an isotopic perspective |
title_sort |
long-term trends in the foraging ecology and habitat use of an endangered species: an isotopic perspective |
publisher |
eScholarship, University of California |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9dm5t4h2 |
op_coverage |
1273 - 1285 |
genre |
North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation |
op_source |
Oecologia, vol 188, iss 4 |
op_relation |
qt9dm5t4h2 https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9dm5t4h2 |
op_rights |
public |
_version_ |
1781702733013712896 |