Grand challenges in marine conservation and sustainable use

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Long-term thermal conditions on the nesting beaches of green turtles on Ascension Island

On 2 of the major nesting beaches used by green turtles Chelonia mydas on Ascension Island, we measured the sand temperature at nest depths throughout the year. For both beaches, the sand temperature was strongly correlated (r2 >= 0.94) with air temperature. We therefore used past records of air temperature to reconstruct sand temperatures on the different beaches throughout the nesting season between 1985 and 1998. This analysis showed that inter-annual differences in sand temperature were small and, while there were consistent thermal changes during the nesting season, over the 14 yr there was little overlap in the temperatures on the 2 beaches, with one being 2.6°C warmer, on average, than the other. This work suggests that inter-beach thermal variation is the major mechanism by which a range of incubation temperatures are realised on Ascension Island and hence is likely to facilitate the production of hatchlings of both sexes

Natural history contributions of the University of Glasgow Exploration Society to Scotland and the World

Expeditions with a natural history focus have been organised by University of Glasgow staff and students since the 1930s. The educational benefits of such expeditions to students have been reported by Harper et al. ( Journal of Biological Education 51, 3- 16; 2017). Here, we present a short history of these expeditions, concentrating on their scientific achievements. In addition to expedition reports, a large number of PhD theses, masters and honours project reports and scientific papers have been based on expedition work. Many biological specimens have been deposited in museums, including some new species. We provide case histories of four expedition locations, to demonstrate the variety of work done, and the value of returning many times to the same place: Scotland, Trinidad and Tobago, North Cyprus and Ecuador. A major problem for expeditions is funding. For many years, the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland ran a funding stream that was crucial to the viability of Scottish university expeditions, but this has sadly now closed. For Glasgow University expeditions, the Blodwen Lloyd Binns Bequest has provided a reliable source since 1994, and we hope that it will continue to do so

Estimating the number of green and loggerhead turtles nesting annually in the Mediterranean

Most species of marine turtle breed every two or more years and it is the norm for females to lay more than one clutch of eggs within a nesting season. Knowing the interval between breeding seasons and the clutch frequency (number of clutches laid by an individual in a breeding season) of females allows us to assess the status of a nesting population. At Alagadi Beach, Northern Cyprus, over a period of 6 years (1995–2000), we attributed 96% of green Chelonia mydas and 80% of loggerhead Caretta caretta turtle clutches to known individual females. This intensive level of monitoring enabled us to estimate the clutch frequency for both species. Using four different methods we estimated clutch frequency to be 2.9–3.1 clutches per female for green turtles and 1.8–2.2 clutches per female for loggerhead turtles. The median interval between nesting seasons for green turtles was 3 years, and for loggerhead turtles it was 2 years. Utilizing these parameters and available data from other beaches that are monitored regularly, we estimate that there are 2,280–2,787 logger-head and 339–360 green turtles nesting annually at these sites in the Mediterranean. This highlights the Critically Endangered status of this population of green turtles. Furthermore, as conventional beach patrols underestimate clutch frequency, these population estimates are likely to be optimistic

Predicting the impacts of climate change on a globally distributed species: the case of the loggerhead turtle

© Company of Biologists. Post print version deposited in accordance with SHERPA RoMEO guidelines. The definitive version is available at: http://jeb.biologists.org/content/213/6/901.shortMarine turtles utilise terrestrial and marine habitats and several aspects of their life history are tied to environmental features that are altering due to rapid climate change. We overview the likely impacts of climate change on the biology of these species, which are likely centred upon the thermal ecology of this taxonomic group. Then, focusing in detail on three decades of research on the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta L.), we describe how much progress has been made to date and how future experimental and ecological focus should be directed. Key questions include: what are the current hatchling sex ratios from which to measure future climate-induced changes? What are wild adult sex ratios and how many males are necessary to maintain a fertile and productive population? How will climate change affect turtles in terms of their distribution

El uso de marcadores de ADN mitocondrial en tortuga boba (Caretta caretta) (Testudines: Cheloniidae) nidificando en la bahía de Kyparissia, Grecia, confirma la unidad de Grecia oriental y la estructuración regional

Genetic markers have been widely used in marine turtles to assess population structuring and origin of individuals in common feeding grounds, which are key elements for understanding their ecology and for developing conservation strategies. However, these analyses are very sensitive to missing information, especially from abundant nesting sites. Kyparissia Bay (western Greece) hosts the second largest Mediterranean nesting aggregation of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), but the genetic profile of this nesting site has not, as yet, been described using the extended version of the historically used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) marker. This marker was genotyped for 36 individuals nesting at Kyparissia Bay and haplotype frequencies obtained were compared with published data from other Mediterranean nesting sites. The results confirmed the connection between Kyparissia and other western Greek nesting sites and the isolation of this western Greek group from other Mediterranean nesting areas. As a consequence of this isolation, this abundant group of nesting aggregations (almost 30% of the Mediterranean stock) is not likely to significantly contribute to the recovery of other declining Mediterranean units.El uso de marcadores genéticos ha sido muy extendido en tortugas marinas con el fin de determinar la estructura poblacional y el origen de individuos en zonas comunes de alimentación; elementos clave para entender su ecología y desarrollar estrategias efectivas de conservación. Sin embargo, este tipo de análisis es muy sensible a la falta de información de ciertas zonas de nidificación, especialmente de aquellas muy abundantes. El perfil genético de las tortugas nidificantes de la bahía de Kyparissia (Grecia occidental) todavía no ha sido descrito usando la versión extendida del marcador mitocondrial (mtDNA) usado históricamente en esta especie, a pesar de ser la segunda zona de nidificación más abundante de todo el Mediterráneo. Con el fin de cubrir este vacío de información, se secuenciaron 36 individuos nidificantes de la bahía de Kyparissia y se compararon las frecuencias de haplotipos obtenidas con datos publicados de otras zonas de nidificación del Mediterráneo. Los resultados confirmaron la conexión entre Kyparissia y otras zonas de nidificación de Grecia así como el aislamiento de este grupo de Grecia occidental con el resto de zonas de nidificación del Mediterráneo. Como consecuencia de este aislamiento, todo parece indicar que este abundante grupo de zonas de nidificación (casi el 30% de la producción del Mediterráneo) no podría contribuir de forma significativa a la recuperación del número de hembras nidificantes en otras poblaciones en declive del Mediterráneo

Fine-scale thermal adaptation in a green turtle nesting population

Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tCopyright © 2011 The Royal SocietyElectronic supplementary material is available at http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1098/rspb.2011.1238 or via http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org.The effect of climate warming on the reproductive success of ectothermic animals is currently a subject of major conservation concern. However, for many threatened species, we still know surprisingly little about the extent of naturally occurring adaptive variation in heat-tolerance. Here, we show that the thermal tolerances of green turtle (Chelonia mydas) embryos in a single, island-breeding population have diverged in response to the contrasting incubation temperatures of nesting beaches just a few kilometres apart. In natural nests and in a common-garden rearing experiment, the offspring of females nesting on a naturally hot (black sand) beach survived better and grew larger at hot incubation temperatures compared with the offspring of females nesting on a cooler (pale sand) beach nearby. These differences were owing to shallower thermal reaction norms in the hot beach population, rather than shifts in thermal optima, and could not be explained by egg-mediated maternal effects. Our results suggest that marine turtle nesting behaviour can drive adaptive differentiation at remarkably fine spatial scales, and have important implications for how we define conservation units for protection. In particular, previous studies may have underestimated the extent of adaptive structuring in marine turtle populations that may significantly affect their capacity to respond to environmental change.NERCThe Royal SocietyThe Darwin InitiativeEuropean Social FundOverseas Territories Environment Programm

Two hundred years after a commercial marine turtle fishery: the current status of marine turtles nesting in the Cayman Islands

Large populations of marine turtles breeding in the Cayman Islands were drastically reduced in the early 1800s. However, marine turtle nesting still occurs in the islands. The present-day status of this nesting population provides insight into the conservation of marine turtles, a long-lived species. In 1998 and 1999, the first systematic survey of marine turtle nesting in the Cayman Islands found 38 nests on 22 beaches scattered through the three islands. Three species were found: the green Chelonia mydas, hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata and loggerhead Caretta caretta turtles. Comparison with other rookeries suggests that the small number of sexually mature adults surviving Cayman’s huge perturbations may be impeding population recovery. This shows the need to implement conservation measures prior to massive reductions in population size

Unravelling migratory connectivity in marine turtles using multiple methods

Comprehensive knowledge of the fundamental spatial ecology of marine species is critical to allow the identification of key habitats and the likely sources of anthropogenic threats, thus informing effective conservation strategies. 2. Research on migratory marine vertebrates has lagged behind many similar terrestrial animal groups, but studies using electronic tagging systems and molecular techniques offer great insights. 3. Marine turtles have complex life history patterns, spanning wide spatio-temporal scales. As a result of this multidimensional complexity, and despite extensive effort, there are no populations for which a truly holistic understanding of the spatial aspects of the life history has been attained. There is a particular lack of information regarding the distribution and habitats utilized during the first few years of life. 4. We used satellite tracking technology to track individual turtles following nesting at the green turtle Chelonia mydas nesting colony at Poilão Island, Guinea Bissau; the largest breeding aggregation in the eastern Atlantic. 5. We further contextualize these data with pan-Atlantic molecular data and oceanographic current modelling to gain insights into likely dispersal patterns of hatchlings and small pelagic juveniles. 6. All adult turtles remained in the waters of West Africa, with strong connectivity demonstrated with Banc D’Arguin, Mauritania. 7. Despite shortcomings in current molecular markers, we demonstrate evidence for profound sub-structuring of marine turtle stocks across the Atlantic; with a high likelihood based on oceanographic modelling that most turtles from Guinea-Bissau are found in the eastern Atlantic. 8. Synthesis and applications. There is an increased need for a better understanding of spatial distribution of marine vertebrates demonstrating life histories with spatio-temporal complexity. We propose the synergistic use of the technologies and modelling used here as a working framework for the future rapid elucidation of the range and likely key habitats used by the different life stages from such species

New monitoring confirms regular breeding of the Mediterranean monk seal in Northern Cyprus

The Endangered Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus is one of the most threatened marine mammals. Across Cyprus, suitable habitat and presence of monk seals is well documented and, recently, camera-trap surveys in Southern Cyprus found there to be pupping. We present results of the first camera-trap surveys in Northern Cyprus spanning the pupping period. Four adult/subadults and three pups were identified in three of eight caves monitored with camera traps. One site on the north-west of the island supported at least three adult/subadult seals and pupping occurred there in 3 consecutive years. The breeding and resting sites identified require urgent conservation to manage threats of disturbance, coastal development and fisheries bycatch. To determine the size of this population, a long-term survey with greater and more continuous coverage is required