A5018348816- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Marine animal studies overview
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Cephalopods and Marine Biology
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- Marine and fisheries research
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
Sea Turtle Conservancy
2017-2023
University of Florida
2017-2023
National Park Service
2023
Ecological Society of America
2022
Florida International University
2015
Abstract Seagrass meadows are important sites for carbon storage. Green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) marine megaherbivores that consume seagrass throughout much of their global range. With successful conservation efforts, turtle abundance will increase, leading to more being returned natural grazed state. There is concern this may lead a loss stored in these systems, but the effects green grazing on ecosystem dynamics have not been investigated. Here we experimentally show despite 79% lower...
Abstract Recovery of green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ), mega‐herbivores that consume seagrasses, is resulting in dramatic ecosystem‐wide changes as meadows are returned to a natural grazed state. The turtle grazing strategy, with long‐term cultivation and high foraging site fidelity, distinct from other terrestrial aquatic may affect seagrass compensatory growth responses. Identifying the mechanisms responses essential understand functioning plant systems under regimes. In naturally Caribbean...
Abstract Increasing green turtle abundance will lead to increased grazing within seagrass habitats—ecosystems that are important for carbon sequestration and storage. However, it is not well understood how dynamics in these ecosystems respond whether a response differs among meadows or locations. We measured ecosystem metabolism grazed ungrazed areas of Thalassia testudinum with established foraging across the Greater Caribbean Gulf Mexico. sampled from five locations differed environmental...
MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout JournalEditorsTheme Sections 532:243-256 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11346 Intraspecific behavioral dynamics in a green turtle Chelonia mydas foraging aggregation Jordan A. Thomson*, Alexandra Gulick, Michael R. Heithaus School of Environment, Arts and Society, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151st St., North...
What happens in meadows after populations of natural grazers rebound following centuries low abundance? Many seagrass ecosystems are now experiencing this phenomenon with the recovery green turtles (Chelonia mydas), large-bodied marine herbivores that feed on seagrasses. These provide a rare opportunity to study ecosystem-wide shifts result from herbivores. We evaluate changes regulation productivity naturally grazed tropical ecosystem by (1) comparing Thalassia testudinum and ungrazed areas...
Abstract Drifting aggregations of Sargassum algae provide critical habitat for endemic, endangered, and commercially important species. They may also favorable microclimates associated fauna. To quantify thermal characteristics holopelagic aggregations, we evaluated profiles 50 in situ the Sargasso Sea. Sea surface temperature (SST) center was significantly higher than nearby open water, SST differential independent aggregation volume, area, thickness. between edge water smaller those water....
Index nesting sites for the Critically Endangered hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata are essential assessing population trends and demographics, informing conservation strategies. Using 29 yr (1988-2017) of saturation tagging data from a protected Caribbean index site, we assessed annual in abundance reproductive success at Buck Island Reef National Monument (BIRNM), St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Approximately 43 ± 21 (mean SD) females 154 60 nests were encountered each year during...
Abstract Populations of green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ), a megaherbivore that consumes seagrasses via cultivation grazing, are recovering worldwide. Information on plant‐mediated effects herbivore foraging behavior is critical to understanding plant–herbivore interactions and sustainability grazing as ecosystems continue change. In Caribbean seagrass ecosystem, we use stationary cameras benthic surveys evaluate the morphology leaf nitrogen content turtle behavior. Thalassia testudinum has...