[en] Background: The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) has undergone a dramatic decline over the last 25 years, and this is believed to be primarily the result of mortality associated with fisheries bycatch followed by egg and nesting female harvest. Atlantic leatherback turtles undertake long migrations across ocean basins from subtropical and tropical nesting beaches to productive frontal areas. Migration between two nesting seasons can last 2 or 3 years, a time period termed the remigration interval (RI). Recent satellite transmitter data revealed that Atlantic leatherbacks follow two major dispersion patterns after nesting season, through the North Gulf Stream area or more eastward across the North Equatorial Current.
However, information on the whole RI is lacking, precluding the accurate identification of feeding areas where conservation measures may need to be applied.
Methodology/Principal Findings: Using stable isotopes as dietary tracers we determined the characteristics of feeding grounds of leatherback females nesting in French Guiana. During migration, 3-year RI females differed from 2-year RI females in their isotope values, implying differences in their choice of feeding habitats (offshore vs. more coastal) and foraging latitude (North Atlantic vs. West African coasts, respectively). Egg-yolk and blood isotope values are correlated in nesting females, indicating that egg analysis is a useful tool for assessing isotope values in these turtles, including adults when not available.
Conclusions/Significance: Our results complement previous data on turtle movements during the first year following the nesting season, integrating the diet consumed during the year before nesting. We suggest that the French Guiana leatherback population segregates into two distinct isotopic groupings, and highlight the urgent need to determine the feeding habitats of the turtle in the Atlantic in order to protect this species from incidental take by commercial fisheries. Our results also emphasize the use of eggs, a less-invasive sampling material than blood, to assess isotopic data and feeding habits for adult female leatherbacks.
Research center :
MARE - Centre Interfacultaire de Recherches en Océanologie - ULiège
Disciplines :
Aquatic sciences & oceanology
Author, co-author :
Caut, Stéphane ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences et gestion de l'environnement > Océanologie
Guirlet, Elodie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences et gestion de l'environnement > Océanologie
Angulo, Elena; Laboratoire d’Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris Sud
Das, Krishna ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences et gestion de l'environnement > Océanologie
Girondot, Marc; Laboratoire d’Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, Université Paris Sud
Language :
English
Title :
Isotope Analysis Reveals Foraging Area Dichotomy for Atlantic Leatherback Turtles
Publication date :
2008
Journal title :
PLoS ONE
eISSN :
1932-6203
Publisher :
Public Library of Science, San Fransisco, United States - California
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