A5047403046- Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Bird parasitology and diseases
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses
- Marine animal studies overview
- Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Knee injuries and reconstruction techniques
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies
- High Altitude and Hypoxia
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
- Traumatic Ocular and Foreign Body Injuries
- Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species
- Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
Purdue University Fort Wayne
2004-2025
Marine Conservation Institute
2020-2023
Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne
2011-2021
National University of Equatorial Guinea
2020
Guanacaste Conservation Area
2016-2019
Sea Turtle Conservancy
2019
Henkel (Germany)
2019
Watershed
2019
University of Exeter
2017
Purdue University West Lafayette
2006-2012
Effective transboundary conservation of highly migratory marine animals requires international management cooperation as well clear scientific information about habitat use by these species. Populations leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the eastern Pacific have declined >90% during past two decades, primarily due to unsustainable egg harvest and fisheries bycatch mortality. While research efforts on nesting beaches are ongoing, relatively little is known this population...
Abstract Temperature‐dependent sex determination (TSD) is the predominant form of environmental (ESD) in reptiles, but adaptive significance TSD this group remains unclear. Additionally, viability species with may be compromised as climate gets warmer. We simulated population responses a turtle to increasing nest temperatures and compared results those virtual genotypic (GSD) fixed ratios. Then, we assessed effectiveness mechanism maintain populations under change scenarios. were more...
Abstract Sea turtles are vulnerable to climate change since their reproductive output is influenced by incubating temperatures, with warmer temperatures causing lower hatching success and increased feminization of embryos. Their ability cope projected increases in ambient will depend on capacity adapt shifts climatic regimes. Here, we assessed the extent which phenological could mitigate impacts from (from 1.5 3°C air 1.4 2.3°C sea surface 2100 at our sites) four species turtles, under a...
Summary Pacific leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea populations have been declining precipitously. It has suggested that fishery‐associated mortality is the leading factor causing decline; however, sensitivity of leatherbacks to climate variability relative their population ecology unknown. We investigated effects interannual variability, as governed by El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), on nesting ecology. used equatorial sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly data over various time...
We collected data on nesting ecology and identified individual turtles that nested at Parque Nacional Las Baulas, Costa Rica, one of the few remaining sites for Pacific leatherbacks, from 1988–1989 to 1999–2000. tagged female with flipper tags later Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) permitted permanent identification. During full calendars years 1990 1995, over 93% nests were laid between beginning October end February. found 92.4 ± 1% attempts resulted in successful oviposition, a mean...
Within 19 years the nesting population of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) at Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas declined from 1500 per year to about 100. We analyzed effects fishery bycatch and illegal harvesting (poaching) eggs on this population. modeled response different levels egg harvest (90, 75, 50, 25%) effect eradicating poaching times during decline. compared 90% with those 20% adult mortality because both these processes were present in Baulas. There was a stepwise...
Egg-burying reptiles need relatively stable temperature and humidity in the substrate surrounding their eggs for successful development hatchling emergence. Here we show that egg mortality of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) northwest Costa Rica were affected by climatic variability (precipitation air temperature) driven El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Drier warmer conditions associated with increased mortality. The fourth assessment report Intergovernmental Panel on Climate...
Interactions with fisheries are believed to be a major cause of mortality for adult leatherback turtles ( Dermochelys coriacea ), which is particular concern in the Pacific Ocean, where they have been rapidly declining. In order identify these interactions occurring and how may reduced, it essential first understand movements behavior turtles. There two regional nesting populations East (EP) West (WP), comprising multiple sites. We synthesized tracking data from compared their movement...
While telemetry is an invaluable tool for tracking animal movement patterns, the data generated by this technique often challenging to interpret. Here, we addressed issue developing a novel method, based on changepoint analysis, which incorporated both horizontal and vertical metrics compared output that from switching state‐space model (SSSM) categorized behavior metrics. We deployed 20 satellite transmitters postnesting loggerhead turtles at Rethymno, Crete, Greece between 2010 2011...
The gut microbiome of herbivorous animals consists organisms that efficiently digest the structural carbohydrates ingested plant material. Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) provide an interesting model change in these microbial communities because they undergo a pronounced shift from surface-pelagic distribution and omnivorous diet to neritic diet. As alternative direct sampling gut, we investigated cloacal microbiomes juvenile green before after recruitment waters observe any changes their...
Increasing sand temperatures resulting from climate change may negatively impact sea turtle nests by altering sex ratios and decreasing reproductive output. We analyzed the effect of nest shading watering on as mitigation strategies in a beach hatchery at Playa Grande, Costa Rica. set up plots placed thermocouples depths 45cm 75cm. Half were shaded half exposed to sun. Within these exposure treatments, we applied three treatments over one month, replicating local climatic conditions...
Clutches of leatherback turtles, Dermochelys coriacea, have lower hatching success than those other sea but causes high embryonic mortality are unknown. We measured characteristics clutches along with spatial and temporal changes in PO2 temperature during incubation to determine the extent which they affected developmental environment embryos. Minimum nests decreased as both total number mass metabolizing embryos increased. Increases caused an increase maximum nest temperature. However,...
Physiology, environment and life history demands interact to influence marine turtle bioenergetics activity. However, metabolism diving behavior of free-swimming turtles have not been measured simultaneously. Using doubly labeled water, we obtained the first field metabolic rates (FMRs; 0.20-0.74 W kg(-1)) water fluxes (16-30% TBW day(-1), where TBW=total body water) for free-ranging combined these data with dive information from electronic archival tags investigate activity reproductive...
Foraging success for pelagic vertebrates may be revealed by horizontal and vertical movement patterns. We show markedly different patterns leatherback turtles in the North Atlantic versus Eastern Pacific, which feed on gelatinous zooplankton that are only occasionally found high densities. In Atlantic, travel speed was characterized two modes, indicative of foraging at low speeds (<15 km d−1) transit (20–45 d−1). Only a single mode evident occurred 21 d−1 transit. The mean dive depth more...
Fisheries bycatch is a critical source of mortality for rapidly declining populations leatherback turtles, Dermochelys coriacea. We integrated use-intensity distributions 135 satellite-tracked adult turtles with longline fishing effort to estimate predicted risk over space and time in the Pacific Ocean. Areas did not overlap eastern western nesting populations, warranting their consideration as distinct management units respect fisheries bycatch. For we identified several areas high north...
The most recent climate change projections show a global increase in temperatures along with precipitation changes throughout the 21(st) century. However, regional do not always match and species distributions may exhibit varying susceptibility to change. Here we effect of local climatic conditions on hatchling output leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) at four nesting sites encompassing Pacific, Atlantic Indian Oceans. We found heterogeneous climate. Hatchling increased long-term...
The macro-epibiotic communities of sea turtles have been subject to growing interest in recent years, yet their micro-epibiotic counterparts are almost entirely unknown. Here, we provide the first evidence that diatoms epibionts for all seven extant species turtle. Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, inspected superficial carapace or skin samples from a single representative each turtle species. We distinguished 18 diatom taxa these individuals, with hosting at least two taxa. recommend...