Date of Award
2014
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Salmon, Michael
Abstract
The cues used by marine turtles to locate foraging areas in the open ocean are largely unknown though some species (especially the green turtle [Chelonia mydas], the loggerhead [Caretta caretta], and the leatherback [Dermochelys coriacea]) somehow locate areas of high productivity. Loggerheads can detect airborne odors, but a capacity to orient has not yet been investigated. In this comparative study, tethered loggerheads and leatherbacks were exposed to dimethyl sulfide (DMS) or food odors in a laminar flow of air. Turtles did not orient into the air current. Free-swimming loggerheads and green turtles were also exposed to air- or waterborne food (squid) odor plus a neutral visual stimulus. Both species showed increases in swimming activity and biting behavior to both stimuli. These results suggest that airborne odors are likely not used to locate distant areas, but that they are used in localized food searching efforts.
Extent
47 p.
Recommended Citation
Kedzuf, Stephanie C., "The role of air and waterborne odors in orientation and food detection in three species of marine turtles" (2014). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 1134.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/1134
Identifier
FA00004296
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.