Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles
1. Age at maturity is hard to estimate for species that cannot be directly marked or observed throughout their lives and yet is a key demographic parameter that is needed to assess the conservation status of endangered species. 2. For loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the North Atlantic and No...
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Language: | English |
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British Ecological Society / Wiley
2011
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Online Access: | https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/39767/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/39767/1/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x.pdf https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x |
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ftoceanrep:oai:oceanrep.geomar.de:39767 2023-05-15T17:33:35+02:00 Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles Scott, Rebecca Marsh, R. Hays, G. C. 2011 text https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/39767/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/39767/1/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x.pdf https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x en eng British Ecological Society / Wiley https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/39767/1/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x.pdf Scott, R., Marsh, R. and Hays, G. C. (2011) Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles. Functional Ecology, 26 (1). pp. 227-235. DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x>. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Article PeerReviewed 2011 ftoceanrep https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x 2023-04-07T15:35:53Z 1. Age at maturity is hard to estimate for species that cannot be directly marked or observed throughout their lives and yet is a key demographic parameter that is needed to assess the conservation status of endangered species. 2. For loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, juvenile growth rates (c. 10 cm year−1) were calculated by examining size increases during transoceanic journeys; durations of which were estimated from satellite-tracked Lagrangian surface drifter buoy trajectories. 3. Lagrangian-derived growth estimates were used in a weighted loglinear model of size-specific growth rates for loggerhead turtles and combined with newly available information on size at maturity to estimate an age at maturity of 45 years (older than past estimates). 4. By examining the age at maturity for 79 reptile species, we show that loggerhead turtles, along with other large-bodied Testudine (turtle and tortoise) species, take longer to reach maturity than other reptile species of comparable sizes. This finding heightens concern over the future sustainability of turtle populations. By maturing at an old age, sea turtles will be less resilient to anthropogenic mortality than previously suspected. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) Pacific Functional Ecology 26 1 227 235 |
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Open Polar |
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OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) |
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ftoceanrep |
language |
English |
description |
1. Age at maturity is hard to estimate for species that cannot be directly marked or observed throughout their lives and yet is a key demographic parameter that is needed to assess the conservation status of endangered species. 2. For loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, juvenile growth rates (c. 10 cm year−1) were calculated by examining size increases during transoceanic journeys; durations of which were estimated from satellite-tracked Lagrangian surface drifter buoy trajectories. 3. Lagrangian-derived growth estimates were used in a weighted loglinear model of size-specific growth rates for loggerhead turtles and combined with newly available information on size at maturity to estimate an age at maturity of 45 years (older than past estimates). 4. By examining the age at maturity for 79 reptile species, we show that loggerhead turtles, along with other large-bodied Testudine (turtle and tortoise) species, take longer to reach maturity than other reptile species of comparable sizes. This finding heightens concern over the future sustainability of turtle populations. By maturing at an old age, sea turtles will be less resilient to anthropogenic mortality than previously suspected. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Scott, Rebecca Marsh, R. Hays, G. C. |
spellingShingle |
Scott, Rebecca Marsh, R. Hays, G. C. Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles |
author_facet |
Scott, Rebecca Marsh, R. Hays, G. C. |
author_sort |
Scott, Rebecca |
title |
Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles |
title_short |
Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles |
title_full |
Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles |
title_fullStr |
Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles |
title_full_unstemmed |
Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles |
title_sort |
life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles |
publisher |
British Ecological Society / Wiley |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/39767/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/39767/1/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x.pdf https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/39767/1/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x.pdf Scott, R., Marsh, R. and Hays, G. C. (2011) Life in the really slow lane: loggerhead sea turtles mature late relative to other reptiles. Functional Ecology, 26 (1). pp. 227-235. DOI 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x>. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2011.01915.x |
container_title |
Functional Ecology |
container_volume |
26 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
227 |
op_container_end_page |
235 |
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1766132143389409280 |