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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) is an endangered marine reptile for whom assessing population health requires
knowledge of demographic parameters such as individual growth rate. In Cape Verde, as within several populations, adult
female loggerhead sea turtles show a size-related behavioral and trophic dichotomy. While smaller females are associated
with oceanic habitats, larger females tend to feed in neritic habitats, which is reflected in their physiological condition and in
their offspring. The ratio of RNA/DNA provides a measure of cellular protein synthesis capacity, which varies depending on
changes in environmental conditions such as temperature and food availability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate
the combined use of morphometric data and biochemical indices as predictors of the physiological condition of the females
of distinct sizes and hatchlings during their nesting season and how temperature may influence the physiological condition
on the offspring. Here we employed biochemical indices based on nucleic acid derived indices (standardized RNA/DNA
ratio-sRD, RNA concentration and DNA concentration) in skin tissue as a potential predictor of recent growth rate in nesting
females and hatchling loggerhead turtles. Our major findings were that the physiological condition of all nesting females
(sRD) decreased during the nesting season, but that females associated with neritic habitats had a higher physiological
condition than females associated with oceanic habitats. In addition, the amount of time required for a hatchling to right
itself was negatively correlated with its physiological condition (sRD) and shaded nests produced hatchlings with lower sRD.
Overall, our results showed that nucleic acid concentrations and ratios of RNA to DNA are an important tool as potential
biomarkers of recent growth in marine turtles. Hence, as biochemical indices of instantaneous growth are likely
temperature-, size- and age-dependent, the utility and validation of these indices on marine turtles stocks deserves further
study.
Description
Keywords
Turtles Reptile physiology Marine fish Ocean temperature
Citation
Vieira, Sara; Martins, Samir; Hawkes, Lucy A.; Marco, Adolfo; Teodósio, M. Alexandra; Kerby, Jacob Lawrence. Biochemical Indices and Life Traits of Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) from Cape Verde Islands, PLoS ONE, 9, 11, e112181-e112181, 2014.
Publisher
Public Library of Science