Threshold to maturity in a long-lived reptile: interactions of age, size, and growth

Thresholds to sexual maturity—either age or size—are critical life history parameters. Usually investigated in short-lived organisms, these thresholds and interactions among age, size, and growth are poorly known for long-lived species. A 34-year study of captive green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine biology 2013-03, Vol.160 (3), p.607-616
Main Authors: Bjorndal, Karen A., Parsons, Joe, Mustin, Walter, Bolten, Alan B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphibia. Reptilia
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Aquatic reptiles
Biological and medical sciences
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Chelonia mydas
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Green turtle
Growth
Growth rate
Hatching
Life history
Life Sciences
Management planning
Marine
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Marine biology
Marine conservation
Microbiology
Nutrient availability
Oceanography
Original Paper
Physical growth
Reptiles
Reptiles & amphibians
Resource allocation
Sea water ecosystems
Sexual maturity
Synecology
Turtles
Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
Zoology
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Summary:Thresholds to sexual maturity—either age or size—are critical life history parameters. Usually investigated in short-lived organisms, these thresholds and interactions among age, size, and growth are poorly known for long-lived species. A 34-year study of captive green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) that followed individuals from hatching to beyond maturity provided an opportunity to evaluate these parameters in a long-lived species with late maturity. Age and size at maturity are best predicted by linear growth rate and mass growth rate, respectively. At maturity, resource allocation shifts from growth to reproductive output, regardless of nutrient availability or size at maturity. Although captive turtles reach maturity at younger ages than wild turtles, the extensive variation in captive turtles under similar conditions provides important insights into the variation that would exist in wild populations experiencing stochastic conditions. Variation in age/size at maturity should be incorporated into population models for conservation and management planning.
ISSN:0025-3162
1432-1793
DOI:10.1007/s00227-012-2116-1