Date of Award
2010
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Abstract
Nest predation can significantly reduce hatchling recruitment in sea turtle populations. This study uses 20 years of data from Canaveral National Seashore, Florida, which has pristine and altered beaches. Chi-square tests were used to determine if secondary predation events were related to the nest's primary depredation event. To determine if human beach use and nest predation are spatially or temporally linked, we ranked human beach use and examined predation frequency across all screened and marked nests (n=40,441). Lastly, I quantified nest predation risk spatially and temporally. I found that primary predation increases the chance of a nest suffering subsequent predation. Primary and multiple predation events occurred with greater frequency in limited use areas and with lowest frequency in moderate use areas. Predation risk decreased by an average of 29.5% from 2000-2008. Nests deposited midseason were 9.8% more likely to be predated than nests deposited early or late.
Extent
ix, 44 p. : ill.
Recommended Citation
Welicky, Rachel., "retrospective analysis of sea turtle nest depredation patterns at Canaveral National Seashore, Florida" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 168.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/168
Identifier
FADT2683130
Comments
by Rachel Welicky.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010.|Includes bibliography.|Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.|by Rachel Welicky.