Abstract
Although the sea turtles have long been familiar and even iconic to marine biologists, many aspects of their ecology remain unaddressed. The present study is the first of the epizoic diatom community covering the olive ridley turtle’s (Lepidochelys olivacea) carapace and the first describing diatoms living on sea turtles in general, with the primary objective of providing detailed information on turtle epibiotic associations. Samples of turtle carapace including the associated diatom biofilm and epizoic macro-fauna were collected from Ostional beach (9° 59´ 23.7´´ N 85° 41´ 52.6´´ W), Costa Rica, during the arribada event in October 2013. A complex diatom community was present in every sample. In total, 11 macro-faunal and 21 diatom taxa were recorded. Amongst diatoms, the most numerous were erect (Achnanthes spp., Tripterion spp.) and motile (Haslea sp., Navicula spp., Nitzschia spp., Proschkinia sp.) forms, followed by adnate Amphora spp., while the most common macro-faunal species was Stomatolepas elegans (Cirripedia). Diatom densities ranged from 8179 ± 750 to 27685 ± 4885 cells mm-2. Epizoic microalgae were either partly immersed or entirely encapsulated within an exopolymeric coat. The relatively low diatom species number, stable species composition and low inter-sample dissimilarities (14.4% on average) may indicate a mutualistic relationship between the epibiont and the basibiont. Dispersal of sea turtle diatoms is probably highly restricted and similar studies will help to understand both diatom diversity, evolution and biogeography, and sea turtle ecology and foraging strategies.
Highlights
Sea turtles spend their life in the marine environment and may act as hosts to a wide variety of epibiont organisms
Diatoms and Other Epibionts Associated with Sea Turtles organisms that are often found associated with physical structures, while a few are found almost exclusively on sea turtles [2]
This work was a part of the international project “Communities of marine epizoic diatoms, parasites and other epibionts on sea turtles from Costa Rica: ultrastructural, taxonomic, and biogeographical analysis” led by the II University of Naples (Italy) in collaboration with the University of Costa Rica (Costa Rica) and the Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)
Summary
Sea turtles spend their life in the marine environment and may act as hosts to a wide variety of epibiont organisms. Their bodies (especially the broad flattened carapace) provide a very suitable substrate for periphytic growth [1, 2]. Most of these marine epibionts are unspecialized. Epibiosis has only recently started to receive research attention, with interest in its contribution to elucidating the cryptic life history of sea turtles, including their diet, foraging locations, migration routes and times, and stock provenance [2]. Epibiosis may have other consequences for the host turtles, including negative effects on swimming and predatory abilities, as well as providing indications of general health status [2, 3]
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