Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T19:53:23.183Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Feeding ecology of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the Galapagos Islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2010

Javier A. Carrión-Cortez ,
Patricia Zárate  and
Jeffrey A. Seminoff
Javier A. Carrión-Cortez*
Affiliation:
Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
Patricia Zárate
Affiliation:
Charles Darwin Foundation, Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Jeffrey A. Seminoff
Affiliation:
NOAA—National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: J.A. Carrión-Cortez, Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, apartado postal 19B, La Paz B.C.S. 23080, México email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The Galapagos Islands are among the most important nesting areas for the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, in the eastern Pacific Ocean. In addition, the coastal waters of this oceanic archipelago host many important feeding areas for this species, although little is known about green turtle feeding ecology at these sites. The goal of this study was to identify and quantify the most important items in the diet of the green turtle at the foraging grounds of Bahia Elizabeth, Caleta Derek and Punta Nuñez. Our analysis was based on 65 oesophageal samples from turtles captured in 2006 and 2007. We compared spatial and seasonal composition of diet using non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) and analysis of similarity (ANOSIM). Green turtle diet was composed mainly of the algae species Ulva lactuca, Polysiphonia sp., Hypnea sp. and Dictyota sp., and the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle. Turtles also consumed animal matter, mainly cnidarians, albeit to a lesser extent. Content of turtle diets was different among feeding grounds and seasons. The ANOSIM showed that diet composition can differ between foraging grounds using presence/absence of diet items. Even though U. lactuca was the most abundant algae consumed in both seasons, changes in species richness of algae were found between both sampling events, with diet during the warm season more varied than the cold season (χ2 = 16.84, df = 6; P < 0.05).

Keywords

eastern Pacific Oceanblack turtleChelonia mydasdietGalapagos Marine Reservespatial variation
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 90 , Issue 5 , August 2010 , pp. 1005 - 1013
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abbott, I. and Hollenberg, G. (1976) Marine algae of California. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Amorocho, D. and Reina, R. (2007) Feeding ecology of the East Pacific green sea turtle Chelonia mydas agassizii at Gorgona National Park, Colombia. Journal of Endangered Species Research 3, 42–51.Google Scholar
Arthur, K. and Balazs, G.H. (2008) A comparison of immature green turtle's (Chelonia mydas) diets among seven sites in the main Hawaiian Islands. Pacific Science 62, 205–217.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arthur, K., Boyle, M. and Limpus, C. (2008) Ontogenetic changes in diet and habitat use in green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) life history. Marine Ecology Progress Series 362, 303–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balazs, G.H. (1980) Synopsis of biological data on the green turtle in the Hawaiian Islands. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMF–SEFSC, USA.Google Scholar
Balazs, G.H., Forsyth, R.G. and Kam, A.K. (1987) Preliminary assessment of habitat utilization by Hawaiian green turtles in their resident foraging pastures. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS–SWFC-71, USA.Google Scholar
Banks, S. (2002) Ambiente Físico. In Danulat, E. and Edgar, G. (eds) Reserva Marina de Galápagos. Línea Base de la Biodiversidad. Galápagos, Ecuador: Fundación Charles Darwin/Servicio Parque Nacional Galápagos, pp. 22–37.Google Scholar
Bjorndal, K.A. (1980) Nutrition and grazing behaviour of the green turtle Chelonia mydas. Marine Biology 56, 147–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bjorndal, K.A. (1985) Nutritional ecology of sea turtles. Copeia 1985, 736–751.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bjorndal, K.A. (1990) Digestibility of the sponge Chondrilla nucula in the green turtle Chelonia mydas. Bulletin of Marine Science 47, 567–570.Google Scholar
Bjorndal, K.A. (1997) Foraging ecology and nutrition of sea turtles. In Musick, J.A. and Lutz, P.L. (eds) The biology of sea turtles. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 199–231.Google Scholar
Bjorndal, K.A., Bolten, A. and Martins, H.R. (2000) Somatic growth model of juvenile loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta: duration of pelagic stage. Marine Ecology Progress Series 202, 265–272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carr, A (1952) Hand book of turtles. New York: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Carr, A (1987) New perspectives on the pelagic stage of sea turtle development. Conservation Biology 1, 103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carr, A. and Meylan, A.B. (1980) Evidence of passive migration of green turtle hatchlings in Sargassum. Copeia 1980, 336–368.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cliffton, K., Cornejo, D. and Felger, R. (1982) Sea turtles of the Pacific coast of México. In Bjorndal, K. (ed.) Biology and conservation of sea turtles. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 109–199.Google Scholar
Coyne, M. (1994) Feeding ecology of subadult green sea turtles in south Texas waters. MSc thesis. Texas A&M University, Galveston, USA.Google Scholar
Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos y Fundación Charles Darwin (DPNG & FCD) (1999) Plan de manejo de la conservación y uso sustentable para la Reserva Marina de Galápagos. Registro oficial No. 173. Galápagos, Ecuador.Google Scholar
Feldman, G. (1985) Satellites, seabirds and seals. In Robinson, G. and Del Pino, M. (eds) El Niño in the Galápagos Islands: the 1982–1983 event. Quito, Ecuador: Charles Darwin Foundation, pp. 125–130.Google Scholar
Ferreira, B., Garcia, M., Jupp, B.P. and Al–Kiyumi, A. (2006) Diet of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) at Ra's Al Hadd, Sultanate of Oman. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 5, 141–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, G. and Limpus, C. (1993) A non-lethal method for retrieving stomach contents from sea turtles. Wildlife Research 20, 339–343.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forbes, G.A. (1996) The diet and feeding ecology of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) in algal-based coral reef community. PhD thesis. James Cook University, Townsville, North Queensland, Australia.Google Scholar
Fuentes, M.P., Lawler, I.R. and Gyuris, E. (2006) Dietary preferences of juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) on a tropical reef flat. Wildlife Research 33, 671–678.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garnett, S., Pirce, I. and Scott, F. (1985) The diet of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, in Torres Strait. Australia. Wildlife Research 12, 103–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garske, L. (2002) Macroalgas marinas. In Danulat, E. and Edgar, G. (eds) Reserva Marina de Galápagos. Línea base de la biodiversidad. Fundación Charles Darwin/Servicio Parque Nacional Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador, pp. 22–37.Google Scholar
Gilbert, E. (2005) Juvenile green turtle (Chelonia mydas) foraging ecology: feeding selectivity and forage nutrient analysis. MSc thesis. Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA.Google Scholar
González, F. (2008) Efecto del ecoturismo marino en la fauna representative de las Islas Galápagos. BSc thesis. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador.Google Scholar
Green, D. (1994) Galapagos sea turtles: an overview. In Schroeder, B. and Witherington, B. (eds) Proceedings of the 13th symposium on sea turtle biology and conservation. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS–SEFSC, Florida, USA, pp. 65–68.Google Scholar
Green, D. and Ortiz-Crespo, F. (1982) Status of sea turtle populations in the Central Eastern Pacific. In Bjorndal, K. (ed.) Biology and conservation of sea turtles. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 221–233.Google Scholar
Groombridge, B. and Luxmoore, R. (1989) The green turtle and hawksbill (Reptilia: Cheloniidae): world status, exploitation and trade. Lausanne, Switzerland: Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.Google Scholar
Hays, B. and Brown, W. (1982) Status of the sea turtles in the southeastern Pacific: emphasis on Perú. In Bjorndal, K. (ed) Biology and conservation of sea turtles. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, pp. 235–240.Google Scholar
Hirth, H.F. (1997) Synopsis of the biological data on the green turtle, Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus 1758). United States Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report, USA.Google Scholar
Hurtado, M. (1984) Registros de anidaciones de la tortuga negra (Chelonia mydas) en las Islas Galápagos. Volumen Científico y Técnico, Guayaquil, Ecuador.Google Scholar
Koch, V., Nichols, W.J., Peckham, H. and de la Toba, V. (2006) Estimates of sea turtle mortality from poaching and bycatch in Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Biological Conservation 128, 327–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koch, V., Brooks, L. and Nichols, W. (2007) Population ecology of the green/black turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Bahía Magdalena, México. Marine Biology 153, 35–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laurie, A.W. (1989) Effects of the 1982–83 El Niño sea warming on marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) populations on Galápagos. In Glynn, P. (ed.) Global consequences of the 1982–83 El Niño Southern Oscillation. New York: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Laurie, A.W. and Brown, D. (1990) Population biology of marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) III. Factors affecting survival. Journal of Animal Ecology 59, 545–568.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Limpus, C. and Nicholls, N. (1988) The southern oscillation regulates the annual numbers of green turtle (Chelonia mydas) breeding around Northern Australia. Wildlife Research 15, 157–161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Limpus, C. and Chaloupka, M. (1997) Non-parametric regression modelling of green sea turtle growth rates (southern Great Barrier Reef). Marine Ecology Progress Series 149, 23–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Limpus, C. and Limpus, D. (2000) Mangroves in the diet of Chelonia mydas in Queensland, Australia. Marine Turtle Newsletter 89, 13–15.Google Scholar
Lobban, C. (1996) Seaweeds of Micronesia: Rhodophyta. Division of Natural Sciences, University of Guam, USA.Google Scholar
López-Mendilaharsu, M., Gardner, S. and Seminoff, J.A. (2005) Identifying critical foraging habitat of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) along the Pacific coast of the Baja California Peninsula, México. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 15, 259–269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
López-Mendilaharsu, M., Gardner, S., Riosmena-Rodríguez, R. and Seminoff, J.A. (2008) Diet selection by immature green turtles (Chelonia mydas) at Bahía Magdalena foraging ground in the Pacific Coast of the Baja California Peninsula, México. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 88, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Márquez, M. (1990) FAO species catalogue: sea turtles of the world. An annotated and illustrated catalogue of sea turtle species known to date. Rome: FAO Fisheries Synopsis.Google Scholar
Mohan, M. and Sankaran, T. (1988) Two new indices for stomach content analysis of fishes. Journal of Fish Biology 33, 289–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mortimer, J. (1981) The feeding ecology of the West Caribbean green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Nicaragua. Biotropica 13, 49–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Marine Fisheries Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service (NMFS) (1998) Recovery plan for US Pacific populations of East Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas). Silver Spring, Maryland: National Marine Fisheries Service.Google Scholar
Pritchard, P.C. (1971) Galápagos sea turtles—preliminary findings. Journal of Herpetology 5, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Redfoot, W. (1997) Population structure and feeding ecology of green turtles utilizing the Trident submarine basin, Cape Canaveral, Florida as developmental habitat. MS thesis. University of Central Florida, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology, USA.Google Scholar
Reich, K.J., Bjorndal, K.A. and Bolten, A.B. (2007) The ‘lost years’ of green turtles: using stable isotopes to study cryptic life stages. Biology Letters 3, 712–714.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ross, J. (1985) Biology of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, on an Arabian feeding ground. Journal of Herpetology 19, 459–468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, G. (1985) Influence of the 1982–1983 El Niño on Galápagos marine life. In Robinson, G. and del Pino, M. (eds) El Niño en las Islas Galápagos: El Evento de 1982–1983. Publicación de la Fundación Charles Darwin para las Islas Galápagos, Ecuador, pp. 153–190.Google Scholar
Rubenstein, D.R. and Wikelski, M. (2003) Seasonal changes in food quality: a proximate cue for reproductive timing in marine iguanas. Ecology 84, 3013–3023CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russell, D. and Balazs, G. (2000) Identification manual for dietary vegetation of the Hawaiian green turtle Chelonia mydas. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS–SEFSC, Florida, USA.Google Scholar
Russell, D. and Balazs, G. (2009) Dietary shifts by green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Kane'ohe Bay Region of the Hawaiian Islands: a 28-year study. Pacific Science 63, 181–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaefer, A. (1970) Die rechnerischen Uterlagen der Stereologie. Mikro-Stereology 7, 3–16.Google Scholar
Seminoff, J.A., Resendiz, A. and Nichols, W. (2002) Diet of east Pacific green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the central Gulf of California, México. Journal of Herpetology 3, 447–453.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seminoff, J.A., Jones, T.T., Resendiz, A., Nichols, W. and Chaloupka, M.Y. (2003) Monitoring green turtles (Chelonia Mydas) at a coastal foraging area in Baja California, Mexico: multiple indices describe population status. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 83, 1355–1362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seminoff, J.A. (2004) Red List assessment of the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) by Jeffrey Seminoff and the MTSG Green Turtle Task Force. UICN–SSC Red List Authority, USA.Google Scholar
Seminoff, J.A., Zárate, P., Coyne, M., Foley, D., Parker, D., Lyon, B. and Dutton, P. (2007) Post-nesting migrations of Galapagos green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, in relation to oceanographic conditions of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean: integrating satellite telemetry with remotely-sensed ocean data. Endangered Species Research 4, 57–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmid, J.R., Bolten, A.B., Bjorndal, K.A., Lindberg, W.J., Percival, H.F. and Zwick, P.D. (2003) Home range and habitat use by Kemp's ridley turtles in west-central Florida. Journal of Wildlife Management 67, 196–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheperd, S.A. and Hawkes, M.W. (2005). Algal food preferences and seasonal foraging strategy of the marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus, on Santa Cruz, Galápagos. Bulletin of Marine Science 77, 51–72Google Scholar
Skelton, P. and South, R. (2002) Mangrove-associated algae from Samoa, South Pacific. University and Jepson Herbaria. Constancea 83.Google Scholar
Spalding, M.D., Fox, H.E., Allen, G.R., Davidson, N., Ferdaña, Z.A., Finlayson, M., Halpern, B.S., Jorge, M.A., Lombana, A., Lourie, S.A., Martin, K.D., McManus, E., Molnar, J., Recchia, C.A. and Robertson, J. (2007) Marine ecoregions of the world. Bio Science 57, 573–583.Google Scholar
Taylor, W. (1945) Pacific marine algae of the Allan Hancock Expeditions to the Galapagos Islands. Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions, USA.Google Scholar
Tomas, J., Aznar, F.J and Raga, J.A. (2001) Feeding ecology of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta in the western Mediterranean. Journal of Zoology 255, 525–532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vinueza, L., Branch, G., Branco, M. and Bustamante, R. (2006) Top-down herbivory and bottom-up El Niño effects on Galápagos rocky-shore communities. Ecological Monographs 76, 11–131.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Windell, J. and Bowen, S. (1978) Methods for study of fish diets based on analysis of stomach contents. Blackwell Scientific Publication 25, 219–226.Google Scholar
Wong, H. and Cheung, P. (2001) Nutritional evaluation of some subtropical red and green seaweeds—Part II. In vitro protein digestibility and amino acid profiles of protein concentrates. Food Chemistry 72, 11–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Conservation Union (IUCN) (2009) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.redlist.org. Accessed 2 May 2009.Google Scholar
Zárate, P., Fernie, A. and Dutton, P. (2003) First results of the East Pacific green turtle, Chelonia mydas, nesting population assessment in the Galapagos Islands. In Seminoff, J.A. (ed.) Proceedings of the 22nd symposium on sea turtle biology and conservation. NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFS–SEFSC, Florida, USA, pp. 70–73.Google Scholar