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We used stable isotope analysis of nitrogen and carbon turtle epidermal samples to describe the trophic niche of the sampled sea turtle population by portraying δC as a habitat structure variable against δN as a resource gradient axis. We examined isotopic data for hawksbills (n = 64) and green turtles (n = 241) hand-captured across an 8-year time frame (2011-2019) to assess interspecific competition. We use statistical analysis to identify ontogenetic shifts associated with changes in trophic feeding to postulate changes to resource use. Our results indicate that stable environmental conditions around Buck Island Reef National Monument (BIRNM) allow for different trophic strategies across the two species with significantly...
Categories: Data;
Tags: Aquatic Biology,
Buck Island Reef National Monument,
Ecology,
Hawskbill, Green turtle, Stable Isotope Analysis, Ontogenetic shift, St. Croix,
St. Croix, All tags...
U.S. Virgin Islands,
USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC),
Wildlife Biology,
biota, Fewer tags
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This study was initiated to provide baseline data and to determine the utility of stable isotope analysis to evaluate the foraging strategies of an opportunistic reptile predator. Stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen were evaluated from multiple tissues from terrapin populations to determine spatial or temporal variations in resource use within mangrove habitats in Southern Florida. We sampled Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) and potential resources within mainland and island habitats, and evaluated their δ13C and δ15N values. We fit linear regression models to determine the best predictors of isotopic values for both terrapins and their prey, and SIBER analysis to examine terrapin isotopic niche...
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