The ecology and migrations of sea turtles / 8 : Tests of the developmental habitat hypothesis / Peter A. Meylan ; Anne B. Meylan ; Jennifer A. Gray / Archie Carr ; Larry Ogren

• Superior document: The ecology and migrations of sea turtles 8
• VerfasserIn: Carr, Archie 1909-1987; Ogren, Larry H.
• MitwirkendeR: Meylan, Peter A.; Meylan, Anne B.; Gray, Jennifer A.
• Place / Publishing House: New York : American Museum of Natural History, 2011
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Language: English
• Series: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 357
• Physical Description: 70 S.; Ill., graph. Darst., Kt.; 26 cm
• Notes: "Issued August 10, 2011. - Running title: Developmental habitat. - Pts. 1-3, 5-6 published 1956-1959, 1962-1966 as: American Museum novitates, no. 1723, 1835, 1958, 2091 and 2248; pts. 4 and 7 published 1960 and 1978 as: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, vol. 121, art. 1 and vol. 162, art. 1. - Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-70); Literaturverz. S. 62 - 70

The existence of ontogenetic shifts in habitat by marine turtles, and of immature-dominated assemblages in "developmental habitat," were important concepts first proposed by Archie Carr in 1956. Results of long-term, in-water capture programs in Caribbean Panama (17 yr) and Bermuda (37 yr) allow the testing and refinement of these ideas, in particular the developmental habitat hypothesis for Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata, and Caretta caretta. A literature survey reviews worldwide studies on these species, and also incorporates Lepidochelys kempii. The studies in Panama and Bermuda reported in this paper use netting, mark/recapture, laparoscopy, and satellite telemetry to investigate size distributions, maturity status, residency, site fidelity, and developmental migrations of three species of sea turtles at three study sites. Characteristics of benthic developmental habitat of C. mydas, E. imbricata, L. kempii, and, to a lesser extent, C. caretta in the Atlantic Ocean usually include benthic feeding; exclusive or nearly exclusive occupation by immature animals; seasonal or multiyear residency and site fidelity in specific areas; developmental migration from the habitat before maturation; and high genetic diversity. Variation of these traits worldwide, contradictory evidence regarding the concept of developmental habitat, and evolution of this life stage are presented. Laparoscopic data provide information concerning the process of sexual maturation; mean size and size range are presented for three maturity stages of C. mydas from Panama and Bermuda, and for size at onset of puberty and maturity for Eretmochelys and Caretta in the West Atlantic. Nicaragua is the primary site of recovery of immature green turtles tagged in Bermuda, representing a developmental migration of at least 2800 km. To the extent that tag returns and stranding data represent good pro++ xies for mortality, transitions between life stages appear to be periods of decreased survivorship