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Sea Turtles Benefiting From Protected Areas

By Guest PostMay 5, 2013Naturealgae, andrew crowder, atris, benthic habitat, carolina, coral reefs, data, dave zawada, dry tortugas, endangered, florida, florida keys, georeferenced, green sea turtle, habitat, hawaii, herbivorous, invertebrates, jellyfish, kaare iverson, kristen hart, national park, protected areas, puerto rico, research ecologist, sea turtle habitat, sea turtles, seafloor, seagrasses, synergistic approach, U.S. Geological Survey, underwater camera system, usgs, vegetarian, virgin islands

Study Offers First Look at Green Sea Turtle Habitat Use in the Dry Tortugas

DRY TORTUGAS, Fla. – Nesting green sea turtles are benefiting from marine protected areas by using habitats found within their boundaries, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study that is the first to track the federally protected turtles in Dry Tortugas National Park.

Green turtles are listed as endangered in Florida and threatened throughout the rest of their range, and the habits of green sea turtles after their forays to nest on beaches in the Southeast U.S. have long remained a mystery. Until now, it was not clear whether the turtles made use of existing protected areas, and few details were available as to whether they were suited for supporting the green sea turtle’s survival. (more…)

‘Heat-proof’ Eggs Help Turtles Cope With Hot Beaches

*Sea turtles face an uncertain future as a warming climate threatens to reduce their reproductive viability.*

*However, new research led by the University of Exeter and published this week in Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that some turtles are naturally heat-tolerant.*

The study focused on green turtles nesting on Ascension Island, a UK overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. Scientists from the Universities of Exeter and Groningen found that eggs laid by turtles nesting on a naturally hot beach withstand high temperatures better than eggs from turtles nesting on a cooler beach just a few kilometres away. (more…)

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Sea Turtles Benefiting From Protected Areas

‘Heat-proof’ Eggs Help Turtles Cope With Hot Beaches