Date of Award
2014
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Milton, Sarah L.
Abstract
This dissertation examined the natal origins, home-range, and in-situ foraging behavior of an aggregation of sub-adult hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) found off the coast of Palm Beach County, Florida. Surveys were conducted on approximately 30 linear km of reef between 15 and 30 m in depth. Tissue samples were retrieved from 112 turtles for mtDNA haplotype determination. GPS-linked satellite transmitters were deployed on six resident sub-adults, resulting in both minimum convex polygon (MCP) and 95%, 50%, and 25% kernel density estimates (KDE) of home-range size. A foraging ethogram was developed, and sequential analysis performed on thirty videos (141 total minutes) of in-situ foraging behavior. Seventeen total haplotypes were identified in this aggregation, the majority (75%) of which represented rookeries on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Other sources, from most to least important, include Barbados, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Antigua, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Extent
106 p.
Recommended Citation
Wood, Lawrence D., "Origins, movements, and foraging behavior of Hawksbill Sea Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in Palm Beach County waters, Florida, USA" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 1069.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/1069
Identifier
FA00004339
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.