Abstract
Although it is commonly assumed that female sea turtles always return to the beach they hatched, the pathways they use during the years preceding their first reproduction and their natal origins are most often unknown, as it is the case for juvenile green turtles found in Martinique waters in the Caribbean. Given the oceanic circulation of the Guiana current flowing toward Martinique and the presence of important nesting sites for this species in Suriname and French Guiana, we may assume that a large proportion of the juvenile green turtles found in Martinique are originating from the Suriname–French Guiana beaches. To confirm this hypothesis, we performed mixed stock analysis (MSA) on 40 green turtles sampled in Martinique Island and satellite tracked 31 juvenile green turtles tagged in Martinique to (a) assess their natal origin and (b) identify their destination. Our results from MSA confirm that these juveniles are descendant from females laying on several Caribbean and Atlantic beaches, mostly from Suriname and French Guiana, but also from more southern Brazilian beaches. These results were confirmed by the tracking data as the 10 turtles leaving Martinique headed across the Caribbean–Atlantic region in six different directions and 50% of these turtles reached the Brazilian foraging grounds used by the adult green turtles coming from French Guiana. One turtle left the French Guianan coast to perform the first transatlantic migration ever recorded in juvenile green turtles, swimming toward Guinea‐Bissau, which is the most important nesting site for green turtles along the African coast. The extensive movements of the migrant turtles evidenced the crossing of international waters and more than 25 exclusive economic zones, reinforcing the need for an international cooperative network to ensure the conservation of future breeders in this endangered species.
Highlights
The migratory behavior has evolved as a strategy to maximize fitness in response to a seasonal environment, long‐dis‐ tance migrations depend on both biotic and abiotic factors (Alerstam, Hedenström, & Åkesson, 2003)
Given the oceanic circulation of the Guiana current flowing toward Martinique (Borstad, 1982) and the presence of import‐ ant nesting sites for green turtles in Suriname and French Guiana (Chambault, de Thoisy, Kelle, et al, 2016), we assume that a large proportion of the juvenile green turtles found in Martinique are originating from the Suriname–French Guiana beaches
After following the same direction as the five preceding turtles, the indi‐ vidual #149696 left the Surinamese coast to head eastward toward the African coast, probably benefiting from the Equatorial Counter‐ Current (Figures 2j and 3). This study made it possible to assess the natal origins of juvenile green turtles inhabiting Martinique waters, and to identify their connecting paths between the developmental habitat of Martinique and already known habitats as inhabited by adult green turtles across the Caribbean–Atlantic region
Summary
The migratory behavior has evolved as a strategy to maximize fitness in response to a seasonal environment, long‐dis‐ tance migrations depend on both biotic (e.g., competition, preda‐ tion, reproduction) and abiotic (e.g., seasonality) factors (Alerstam, Hedenström, & Åkesson, 2003). Some recent studies have suggested that, rather than a passive dis‐ persal, the movements of juvenile sea turtles are based on a directed swimming behavior (the “active theory”) (Briscoe et al, 2016; Gaspar & Lalire, 2017, 2012; Hamann, Grech, Wolanski, & Lambrechts, 2011; Putman & Mansfield, 2015; Putman & Naro‐Maciel, 2013; Putman, Scott, Verley, Marsh, & Hays, 2012; Putman, Verley, Shay, & Lohmann, 2012; Scott, Marsh, & Hays, 2012) Given their long‐lived, slow‐growing, migratory behavior and their late sexual maturity (e.g., between 15–50 years for the green turtle, Avens & Snover, 2013; Bell et al, 2005; Bjorndal, Bolten, & Martins, 2000; Patricio, Diez, & van Dam, 2014), some parts of the life cycle of sea turtles are still poorly understood, especially after leaving their developmental habitat. By identifying the pathways used by juvenile green turtles, the present study can provide a solid basis for an adequate conservation of this endangered species by protecting future breeders at the Caribbean–Atlantic scale
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