Nest Site Fidelity of Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) on Playa Grande, Costa Rica: A Statistical Analysis of Individual Nest Site Selection
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Authors
Sieg, Annette Elizabeth
Issue Date
2002
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
The current conservation method of relocating doomed leatherback sea turtle
(Dermochelys coriacea) clutches of eggs is often used on nesting grounds to save
clutches located in beach areas where they would likely be lost to tidal action. It may be,
that individual turtles have intrinsic preferences for certain beach locations that enter into
their selection of a nest site. This being the case, the current conservation technique of
relocating doomed clutches would seem ill advised, as it might select for turtles that
make poor nest site selections. The possibility of individual-specific intrinsic preference
was investigated using the longitudinal set of recordings collected at Playa Grande, Costa
Rica over eight seasons from 1993-2001. Of particular interest was whether consecutive
selections by an individual within a season indicated an association between nest site
selections. Consecutive zone selections relative to the ocean-to-vegetation axis did not
suggest the presence of female-specific nest site preference. Therefore, termination of
the clutch relocation program is not indicated. Consecutive section selections were,
however, consistent with heterogeneous nest site selection relative to the coastal axis.
This suggests some association between individual-specific nest site selections in the
form of preference for a nest site located near the nest site selected previously.
Description
viii, 53 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.