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Journal article
Secondary nesting beaches for leatherback turtles on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica
Latin american journal of aquatic research, v 45(3), pp 563-571
Jan 2017
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) have declined dramatically in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EP) in recent decades. Traditionally, population assessments have relied on the numbers of turtles on the beaches with the highest abundance of turtles (index beaches) and often disregarded the importance of nesting beaches with smaller, but still regular, numbers of nesting turtles (secondary beaches). We characterize leatherback nesting on secondary beaches throughout Pacific Costa Rica. Nesting distribution was significantly reduced since the 1990s and it currently appears to be constricted to the Santa Elena and Nicoya peninsulas. Over the past five years, nesting abundance on secondary beaches was low, ranging between 0.4 ± 0.5 and 5.3 ± 1.5 females and 3.8 ± 5.2 and 22.8 ± 10.8 nests per beach and per year. There was some exchange of turtles between beaches. The exchange rate (percentage of females that nested at least once on a different beach) ranged between 7% and 28%. While Caletas still registers multiple clutches that are laid by 1 -2 females in some years, it may no longer qualify as a secondary beach due to the infrequent nature of nesting events registered recently and the total absence of nests in some of those years. Although nesting abundance is relatively low at secondary beaches, they host at least ~25% of total leatherback nesting abundance in Costa Rica. As the EP leatherback turtle declines, not only do the numbers of nesting turtles decrease but local extirpations are occurring on, previously categorized, secondary beaches. The critically low number of turtles at present may prevent recolonization of sites where they have been extirpated.
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Details
- Title
- Secondary nesting beaches for leatherback turtles on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica
- Creators
- Pilar Santidrián-Tomillo - Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, SpainNathan J Robinson - Indiana University – Purdue University Fort WayneLuis Gabriel Fonseca - BioMarinWagner Quirós-Pereira - University of California, Santa BarbaraRandall Arauz - Programa de Restauración de Tortugas Marinas, Costa RicaMadeleine Beange - Programa de Restauración de Tortugas Marinas, Costa RicaRotney Piedra - Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación (SINAC), Costa RicaElizabeth Vélez - Asociación Demográfica CostarricenseFrank V Paladino - Indiana University – Purdue University Fort WayneJames R Spotila - Drexel UniversityBryan P Wallace - University of South Carolina Beaufort
- Publication Details
- Latin american journal of aquatic research, v 45(3), pp 563-571
- Publisher
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Facultad de Recursos Naturales. Escuela de Ciencias del Mar
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- Portuguese
- Academic Unit
- [Retired Faculty]
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000406912400007
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85029677276
- Other Identifier
- 991019168693004721
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- Collaboration types
- Industry collaboration
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Fisheries
- Marine & Freshwater Biology