Grant: 25-013R
Project Title: The elusive sex: insights into the spatial ecology of male sea turtles and opportunities to inform their conservation – Year 1
Project Manager: Mariana Fuentes
Organization: Florida State University (Research and Educational Institute)
Grant Amount: $36,863.00
Completion Date:
Summary: Most of our knowledge on the spatial ecology of turtles is focused on post-nesting females, and addresses questions related to post-nesting movements, and identification of post nesting migratory corridors and foraging areas. This bias is problematic since information on the spatial distribution, behavior, habitat use and movement of migratory species is fundamental to identifying key habitats, critical resources, discrete foraging aggregations and migratory corridors for protection. Consequently, most of the spatial data on sea turtles used to determine exposure to threats and inform conservation initiatives may be biased to one population segment. However, differences have been found between the spatial ecology of males and females; including differences in migration distance, proximity of foraging areas to breeding grounds, breeding area residence, and breeding interval. Despite the importance of information on the spatial ecology of males, and current efforts to track male sea turtles, this segment of the population remains underrepresented. To address this, the project aims to increase our knowledge of the spatial ecology of male sea turtles at an important foraging area.
Results: