Fine-scale intraspecific niche partitioning in a highly mobile, marine megafauna species: implications for ecology and conservation
A species may partition its realized ecological niche along bionomic and scenopoetic axes due to intraspecific competition for limited resources. How partitioning manifests depends on resource needs and availability by and for the partitioning groups. Here we demonstrate the utility of analysing sho...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221529 |
| _version_ | 1797793890957262848 |
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| author | Ian Silver-Gorges Simona A. Ceriani Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes |
| author_facet | Ian Silver-Gorges Simona A. Ceriani Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes |
| author_sort | Ian Silver-Gorges |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A species may partition its realized ecological niche along bionomic and scenopoetic axes due to intraspecific competition for limited resources. How partitioning manifests depends on resource needs and availability by and for the partitioning groups. Here we demonstrate the utility of analysing short- and long-term stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from imperiled marine megafauna to characterize realized niche partitioning in these species. We captured 113 loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) at a high-use area in the eastern Big Bend, Florida, between 2016 and 2022, comprising 53 subadults, 10 adult males and 50 adult females. We calculated trophic niche metrics using established and novel methods, and constructed Bayesian ellipses and hulls, to characterize loggerhead isotopic niches. These analyses indicated that loggerheads partition their realized ecological niche by lifestage, potentially along both bionomic (e.g. trophic) and/or scenopoetic (e.g. habitat, latitude or longitude) axes, and display different characteristics of resource use within their niches. Analysis of stable isotopes from tissues with different turnover rates enabled this first characterization of intraspecific niche partitioning between and within neritic lifestages in loggerhead turtles, which has direct implications for ongoing research and conservation efforts for this and other imperiled marine species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:53:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-af283098befa461f87666de8a0534cb7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:53:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-af283098befa461f87666de8a0534cb72023-06-28T07:42:09ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032023-06-0110610.1098/rsos.221529Fine-scale intraspecific niche partitioning in a highly mobile, marine megafauna species: implications for ecology and conservationIan Silver-Gorges0Simona A. Ceriani1Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes2Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USAFish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USADepartment of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USAA species may partition its realized ecological niche along bionomic and scenopoetic axes due to intraspecific competition for limited resources. How partitioning manifests depends on resource needs and availability by and for the partitioning groups. Here we demonstrate the utility of analysing short- and long-term stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from imperiled marine megafauna to characterize realized niche partitioning in these species. We captured 113 loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) at a high-use area in the eastern Big Bend, Florida, between 2016 and 2022, comprising 53 subadults, 10 adult males and 50 adult females. We calculated trophic niche metrics using established and novel methods, and constructed Bayesian ellipses and hulls, to characterize loggerhead isotopic niches. These analyses indicated that loggerheads partition their realized ecological niche by lifestage, potentially along both bionomic (e.g. trophic) and/or scenopoetic (e.g. habitat, latitude or longitude) axes, and display different characteristics of resource use within their niches. Analysis of stable isotopes from tissues with different turnover rates enabled this first characterization of intraspecific niche partitioning between and within neritic lifestages in loggerhead turtles, which has direct implications for ongoing research and conservation efforts for this and other imperiled marine species.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221529niche partitioningisotopeforagingsea turtleecologymegafauna |
| spellingShingle | Ian Silver-Gorges Simona A. Ceriani Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes Fine-scale intraspecific niche partitioning in a highly mobile, marine megafauna species: implications for ecology and conservation Royal Society Open Science niche partitioning isotope foraging sea turtle ecology megafauna |
| title | Fine-scale intraspecific niche partitioning in a highly mobile, marine megafauna species: implications for ecology and conservation |
| title_full | Fine-scale intraspecific niche partitioning in a highly mobile, marine megafauna species: implications for ecology and conservation |
| title_fullStr | Fine-scale intraspecific niche partitioning in a highly mobile, marine megafauna species: implications for ecology and conservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fine-scale intraspecific niche partitioning in a highly mobile, marine megafauna species: implications for ecology and conservation |
| title_short | Fine-scale intraspecific niche partitioning in a highly mobile, marine megafauna species: implications for ecology and conservation |
| title_sort | fine scale intraspecific niche partitioning in a highly mobile marine megafauna species implications for ecology and conservation |
| topic | niche partitioning isotope foraging sea turtle ecology megafauna |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.221529 |
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