Abstract
Blood analyte reference intervals are scarce for immature life stages of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). The objectives of this study were to (1) document reference intervals of packed cell volume (PCV) and 20 plasma chemistry analytes from wild oceanic-juvenile stage loggerhead turtles from Azorean waters, (2) investigate correlations with body size (minimum straight carapace length: SCLmin) and (3) compare plasma chemistry data to those from older, larger neritic juveniles (<80 cm SCLmin) and adult loggerheads (≥80 cm SCLmin) that have recruited to the West Atlantic in waters around Cape Canaveral, Florida. Twenty-eight Azorean loggerhead turtles with SCLmin of 17.6-60.0 cm (mean 34.9 ± 12.1 cm) were captured, sampled and immediately released. Reference intervals are reported. There were several biologically relevant correlations of blood analytes with SCLmin: positive correlations of PCV, proteins and triglycerides with SCLmin indicated somatic growth, increasing diving activity and/or diet; negative correlations of tissue enzymes with SCLmin suggested faster growth at smaller turtle size, while negative correlations of electrolytes with SCLmin indicated differences in diet, environmental conditions and/or osmoregulation unique to the geographic location. Comparisons of loggerhead turtles from the Azores (i.e. oceanic) and Cape Canaveral (i.e. neritic) identified significant differences regarding diet, somatic growth, and/or environment: in Azorean turtles, albumin, triglycerides and bilirubin increased with SCLmin, while alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase and sodium decreased. In larger neritic Cape Canaveral turtles, aspartate aminotransferase increased with SCLmin, while the albumin:globulin ratio, phosphorus and cholesterol decreased. These differences suggest unique physiological disparities between life stage development and migration, reflecting biological and habitat differences between the two populations. This information presents biologically important data that is applicable to stranded individual turtles and to the population level, a tool for the development of conservation strategies, and a baseline for future temporal and spatial investigations of the Azorean loggerhead sea turtle population.
Highlights
The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) distinct population segments are listed as threatened or endangered under the US Endangered Species Act (NMFS and USFWS 2011)
For Azorean loggerheads, albumin, ALT, globulins, packed cell volume (PCV), total bilirubin, total protein and triglycerides significantly increased with increasing SCLmin, while A:G, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Cl, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and Na decreased with increasing SCLmin
For Cape Canaveral loggerheads
Summary
The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) distinct population segments are listed as threatened or endangered under the US Endangered Species Act (NMFS and USFWS 2011). Blood provides a sample matrix for a number of different analyses, such as basic hematology and chemistry, as a diagnostic screening tool in any species during health and disease. Blood analysis has been widely used in health assessment studies and mortality investigations and is increasingly applied as an important part of the development of conservation strategies for sea turtle populations worldwide. Various studies document blood analyte data of loggerhead turtles at various life stages, including nesting or adult foraging, and from different geographic regions (Bolten et al, 1992, 1994; Casal et al, 2009; Deem et al, 2009; Flint et al, 2010; Kelly et al, 2015). Published data of the wild oceanic-juvenile life stage is limited (Delgado et al, 2011). The connectivity of the Azorean developmental population with the nesting population in the southeastern USA has been documented using genetic markers (Bolten et al, 1998)
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