High survivorship of an annually decreasing aggregation of hawksbill turtles, Eretmochelys imbricata, found foraging in the northern Great Barrier Reef
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCUAbstract
An 8-year study of the foraging abundance of an Eretmochelys imbricata aggregation, found on 13 reefs (Howick Group) within the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was undertaken. A CormackJollySeber method within program MARK was used to: (1) compare survival and recapture probabilities among age and sex classes of turtles; and (2) estimate survival and recapture rates for male and female adults and sub-adults from 665 capturemarkrecapture profiles of E. imbricata. Mean annual population density estimates were consistently greater for adult female E. imbricata (n=333.7; SD=135.6; R=221-581) than for adult males (n=32.4; SD=33.4; R=8-98), with both adult males and females displaying high survivorship rates (71.1%; 92.2%, respectively). This was also apparent in immature age-classes, with male and female turtles showing similarly high survivorship likelihoods (78.0%; 93.0%, respectively). Both sexes exhibited a similar overall trend with a peak population density being displayed in the first two years of the study, followed by a general decline in the female stock and stable male population. These are the only reliable long-term abundance time-series data for a population that includes all age-classes of E. imbricata in the western Pacific and provide good baseline data for the detection of possible climate change induced trends.
Journal
N/A
Publication Name
N/A
Volume
22
ISBN/ISSN
1099-0755
Edition
N/A
Issue
5
Pages Count
10
Location
N/A
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Publisher Url
N/A
Publisher Location
N/A
Publish Date
N/A
Url
N/A
Date
N/A
EISSN
N/A
DOI
10.1002/aqc.2245