Nest site selection represents an important reproductive strategy for sea turtles as it can strongly affect the development and survival of the offsprings and the reproductive fitness of the adults. In this study we a...Nest site selection represents an important reproductive strategy for sea turtles as it can strongly affect the development and survival of the offsprings and the reproductive fitness of the adults. In this study we analyzed the nest site selection of loggerhead and leatherback turtles and the factors correlated with that selection at Inhaca Island. The spatial position of the nests was recorded during sea turtles nests monitoring and six nesting seasons were used. Satellite images of Inhaca were used to characterize some of the beach features that might be correlated with nest site selection. Nest distribution analysis revealed that loggerhead turtles tend to spread their nests along the entire beach, but a higher aggregation of nests was evident at the northern most section of the eastern coast. Leatherback turtles tend to nest in a restricted area, with approximately 40% nests at the central sections of the coast. Beach height was the physical variable significantly correlated to loggerhead＇s nest density （r = 0.309, N = 125, P 〈 0.01） while fin grain particles （specifically 0.125 mm grain size particles） （r = 0.399, N = 125, P 〈 0.01） and organic content （r = 0.218, N = 125, P 〈 0.05） were the variables significantly correlated to leatherback＇s nest density. No other factors investigated affected nest site selection of either species.展开更多
文摘Nest site selection represents an important reproductive strategy for sea turtles as it can strongly affect the development and survival of the offsprings and the reproductive fitness of the adults. In this study we analyzed the nest site selection of loggerhead and leatherback turtles and the factors correlated with that selection at Inhaca Island. The spatial position of the nests was recorded during sea turtles nests monitoring and six nesting seasons were used. Satellite images of Inhaca were used to characterize some of the beach features that might be correlated with nest site selection. Nest distribution analysis revealed that loggerhead turtles tend to spread their nests along the entire beach, but a higher aggregation of nests was evident at the northern most section of the eastern coast. Leatherback turtles tend to nest in a restricted area, with approximately 40% nests at the central sections of the coast. Beach height was the physical variable significantly correlated to loggerhead＇s nest density （r = 0.309, N = 125, P 〈 0.01） while fin grain particles （specifically 0.125 mm grain size particles） （r = 0.399, N = 125, P 〈 0.01） and organic content （r = 0.218, N = 125, P 〈 0.05） were the variables significantly correlated to leatherback＇s nest density. No other factors investigated affected nest site selection of either species.
