Fine scale geographic residence and annual primary production drive body condition of wild immature green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) in Martinique Island (Lesser Antilles)
| Type | Article | ||||||||
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| Date | 2019-12 | ||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||
| Author(s) | Bonola Marc1, Girondot Marc2, Robin Jean-Patrice1, Martin Jordan1, Siegwalt Flora1, Jeantet Lorène1, Lelong Pierre1, Grand Clément1, Chambault Philippine3, Etienne Denis4, Gresser Julie4, Hielard Gaëlle5, Alexandre Arqué5, Régis Sidney1, Nicolas Laurence1, Frouin Cédric1, Lefebvre Fabien1, Sutter Emmanuel4, Vedie Fabien4, Barnerias Cyrille4, Laurent Thieulle1, Bordes Robinson1, Guimera Christelle1, Aubert Nathalie1, Bouaziz Myriam1, Pinson Adrien6, Frédéric Flora1, Matthieu Duru1, Benhalilou Abdelwahab7, Céline Murgale7, Maillet Thomas7, Andreani Lucas7, Campistron Guilhem7, Sikora Maxym8, Rateau Fabian8, Francis George8, Joffrey Eggenspieler8, Woignier Thierry9, Allenou Jean-Pierre 10, Louis-Jean Laurent11, Chanteur Bénédicte11, Béranger Christelle11, Crillon Jessica12, Brador Aude12, Habold Caroline1, Le Maho Yvon1, Chevallier Damien1 |
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| Affiliation(s) | 1 : Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, F-67000 Strasbourg, France 2 : Laboratoire Écologie, Systématique, Évolution, Université Paris-Sud, AgroParisTech, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, 91405 Orsay, France 3 : UMR MARBEC, IFREMER, CNRS, IRD, University of Montpellier, Avenue Jean Monnet, 34200 Sète, France 4 : DEAL Martinique, Pointe de Jaham, BP 7212, 97274 Schoelcher Cedex, France 5 : Office de l'Eau Martinique, 7 Avenue Condorcet, BP 32, 97201 Fort-de-France, Martinique, France 6 : Surfrider Foundation Europe Martinique, France 7 : Association POEMM, 73 lot papayers, Anse a l'âne, 97229 Les Trois Ilets, Martinique, France 8 : ONF International, 78 route de Moutte, 97207 Fort-de-France, France 9 : Aix Marseille University, University Avignon, CNRS, IRD, IMBE, Marseille, 13397, France 10 : IFREMER Délégation de Martinique, 79 Route de Pointe-Fort 97231 Le Robert, France 11 : PNR Martinique, avenue des caneficiers, 97200 Fort-de-France, France 12 : Parc Marin de Martinique, Agence Française pour la Biodiversité, avenue des caneficiers, 97200 Fort-de-France, France |
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| Source | Biology Open (2046-6390) (The Company of Biologists), 2019-12 , Vol. 8 , N. 12 , P. bio048058 (10p.) | ||||||||
| DOI | 10.1242/bio.048058 | ||||||||
| WOS© Times Cited | 6 | ||||||||
| Keyword(s) | Green turtles, Juveniles, Body mass, Body condition, Biometry | ||||||||
| Abstract | The change of animal biometrics (body mass and body size) can reveal important information about their living environment as well as determine the survival potential and reproductive success of individuals and thus the persistence of populations. However, weighing individuals like marine turtles in the field presents important logistical difficulties. In this context, estimating body mass based on body size is a crucial issue. Furthermore, the determinants of the variability of the parameters for this relationship can provide information about the quality of the environment and the manner in which individuals exploit the available resources. This is of particular importance in young individuals which growth quality might be a determinant of adult fitness. Our study aimed to validate the use of different body measurements to estimate body mass, which can be difficult to obtain in the field, and explore the determinants of the relationship between body mass and size in juvenile green turtles. Juvenile green turtles were caught, measured, and weighed for six years (2011-2012; 2015-2018) at six bays in the west of Martinique Island (Lesser Antilles). Using different datasets from this global database, we were able to show that the body mass of individuals can be predicted from body measurements with an error of less than 2%. We built several dataset including different morphological and time-location information to test the accuracy of the mass prediction. We show a year and north-south pattern for the relationship between body mass and body measurements. The year effect for the relationship of body mass and size is strongly correlated with net primary production but not with sea surface temperature or cyclonic events. We also found that if the bay locations and year effects were removed from the analysis, the mass prediction degraded slightly but was still less than 3% on average. Further investigations of the feeding habitats in Martinique are still needed to better understand these effects and to link them with geographic and oceanographic conditions. |
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