Accuracy and precision of sea-finding orientation as a function of dune proximity in hatchlings of two species of sea turtles
Shigetomo Hirama
A B * , Blair Witherington C , Sarah Hirsch D , Andrea Sylvia A and Raymond Carthy E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1105 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, FL 32601, USA.
B Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins–Ziegler Hall, PO Box 110430, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
C Inwater Research Group Inc., 4160 NE Hyline Drive, Jensen Beach, FL 34957, USA.
D Loggerhead Marinelife Center, 14200 US Highway 1, Juno Beach, FL 33408, USA.
E US Geological Survey, Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, PO Box 110485, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
Marine and Freshwater Research 74(11) 994-1001 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF23052
Submitted: 23 March 2023 Accepted: 3 June 2023 Published: 26 June 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Context: Sea turtle hatchlings generally emerge at night from nests on sand beaches and immediately orient using visual cues, which are believed to entail the difference in brightness between the light seen in the seaward direction and that seen in the duneward direction.
Aim: The aim of this study was to understand how dune proximity affected hatchling orientations in two sea turtle species that share a nesting beach 15 km long and 25.3 ± 9.4 m (N = 215) from dune to waterline, with low to moderate artificial light nearby.
Methods: For hatchling loggerhead and green turtles, we measured accuracy and precision of orientation, tested differences in distance from nest to dune, and investigated the effect of dune proximity on hatchling orientation.
Key results: We found a significant decrease in hatchling orientation accuracy and precision in both species as the distance increased from nests to dune. Loggerhead and green turtles showed similar orientation ability when in the same proximity to the dune.
Conclusions: We conclude that dune features provide important cues for hatchling orientation on sea turtle nesting beaches.
Implications: Restoring and maintaining natural beach profiles, especially dune systems, is likely to increase the accuracy and precision of sea finding in hatchling sea turtles.
Keywords: artificial light, coastal pioneer plants, dune proximity, green turtle, hatchling orientation, hatchling track, light pollution, loggerhead.
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