Journal article
Marine turtles are not fussy nesters: a novel test of small-scale nest site selection using structure from motion beach terrain information
PeerJ, Vol.5, e2770
2017
Abstract
Background: Nest selection is widely regarded as a key process determining the fitness of individuals and viability of animal populations. For marine turtles that nest on beaches, this is particularly pivotal as the nesting environment can significantly control reproductive success.The aim of this study was to identify the environmental attributes of beaches (i.e., morphology, vegetation, urbanisation) that may be associated with successful oviposition in green and loggerhead turtle nests. Methods: We quantified the proximity of turtle nests (and surrounding beach locations) to urban areas, measured their exposure to artificial light, and used ultra-high resolution (cm-scale) digital surface models derived from Structure-from-Motion (SfM) algorithms, to characterise geomorphic and vegetation features of beaches on the Sunshine Coast, eastern Australia. Results: At small spatial scales (i.e., <100 m), we found no evidence that turtles selected nest sites based on a particular suite of environmental attributes (i.e., the attributes of nest sites were not consistently different from those of surrounding beach locations). Nest sites were, however, typically characterised by occurring close to vegetation, on parts of the shore where the beach- and dune-face was concave and not highly rugged, and in areas with moderate exposure to artificial light. Conclusion: This study used a novel empirical approach to identify the attributes of turtle nest sites from a broader 'envelope' of environmental nest traits, and is the first step towards optimizing conservation actions to mitigate, at the local scale, present and emerging human impacts on turtle nesting beaches.
Details
- Title
- Marine turtles are not fussy nesters: a novel test of small-scale nest site selection using structure from motion beach terrain information
- Authors
- Ilana Kelly (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringJavier X Leon (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringBen Gilby (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringAndrew D Olds (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringThomas Schlacher (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
- Publication details
- PeerJ, Vol.5, e2770; 25
- Publisher
- PeerJ, Ltd.
- Date published
- 2017
- DOI
- 10.7717/peerj.2770
- ISSN
- 2167-8359
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2017 Kelly et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99451186702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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