Feeding ecology of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) at rocky reefs in western South Atlantic

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• 作者：Jia Reisser (1) (2)
  Maa Proietti (1)
  Ivan Sazima (3)
  Paul Kinas (4)
  Paulo Horta (5)
  Eduardo Secchi (1)
  
• 刊名：Marine Biology
• 出版年：2013
• 出版时间：December 2013
• 年：2013
• 卷：160
• 期：12
• 页码：3169-3179
• 全文大小：
• 作者单位：Jia Reisser (1) (2)
  Maa Proietti (1)
  Ivan Sazima (3)
  Paul Kinas (4)
  Paulo Horta (5)
  Eduardo Secchi (1)
  
  1. Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, 96201-900, Brazil
  2. School of Environmental Systems Engineering and UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
  3. Museu de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, 13083-970, Brazil
  4. Instituto de Matemica, Estattica e Fica, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, RS, 96201-900, Brazil
  5. Departamento de Botanica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianolis, SC, 88010-9710, Brazil
  
• ISSN：1432-1793

文摘

Feeding ecology of green turtles was investigated between January 2005 and April 2008 at Arvoredo Reserve, Brazil (277, 488). Data were obtained through the performance of observational sessions, geo-referenced counts, benthic surveys, capture and recapture of individuals, and oesophageal lavages. This protected area was identified as an important green turtle feeding ground, used year-round by juveniles (curved carapace length=323cm). Turtles fed close to the rocky shores of the area and selected grazing sites commonly at hard-to-reach, near-vertical portions of the rocks. They were less active in cold months, and more abundant at shallow areas of the reef (0m), where their preferred food items occurred. Their diet was dominated by macroalgae species but invertebrates were also present. Their main food item was the red algae Pterocladiella capillacea, which seems to be eaten through periodical cropping of its tips. Observational methods such as the ones applied here could be incorporated to other research programs aiming to understand the relationships between Chelonia mydas feeding populations and their environment.