Latitudinal cline in the foraging dichotomy of loggerhead sea turtles reveals the importance of East China Sea for priority conservation

Aim Quantifying the importance of habitat areas for conservation of highly migratory marine species with complex life histories can be challenging. For example loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting in Japan forage both oceanically and neritically after their reproductive period. Here, we aime...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diversity & distributions 2022-08, Vol.28 (8), p.1568-1581
Main Authors: Okuyama, Junichi, Watabe, Akemi, Takuma, Shunichi, Tanaka, Kentaro, Shirai, Kotaro, Murakami-Sugihara, Naoko, Arita, Mamiko, Fujita, Kento, Nishizawa, Hideaki, Narazaki, Tomoko, Yamashita, Yoshiya, Kameda, Kazunari
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic reptiles
Archipelagoes
Beaches
Biodiversity
Caretta caretta
Coastal zone
Conservation
Conservation areas
East China Sea
Eggs
Endangered & extinct species
Endangered populations
Females
Foraging habitats
foraging hotspots
Habitats
international management
Islands
Migratory species
Nesting
Nests
polymorphism
Population
priority conservation area
Reptiles & amphibians
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Satellite tracking
sea turtle
Sea turtles
stable isotope analysis
Stable isotopes
Wildlife conservation
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Summary:Aim Quantifying the importance of habitat areas for conservation of highly migratory marine species with complex life histories can be challenging. For example loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting in Japan forage both oceanically and neritically after their reproductive period. Here, we aimed to quantify the proportions of turtles using these two contrasting habitats (foraging dichotomy) to suggest priority conservation areas. Location North Pacific Ocean. Methods We examined the occurrence of foraging dichotomy at three nesting sites (Ishigaki, Okinoerabu Islands and Ichinomiya) based on stable isotope analysis of the egg yolks for 82 turtles and satellite tracking of post‐nesting migration for 12 turtles. Moreover, we used the data of three other sites from previous studies (Yakushima Island, Minabe and Omaezaki). Results Two neritic foraging grounds (East China Sea and the coastal area of the Japanese archipelago), and an oceanic ground (North Pacific Ocean) were identified. We found a latitudinal cline with respect to the occurrence of foraging dichotomy; >84% of the females nesting at southern sites (Ishigaki and Okinoerabu Islands), 73% at middle sites (Yakushima Island and Minabe) and
ISSN:1366-9516
1472-4642
DOI:10.1111/ddi.13531