Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Salmon, Michael

Abstract

Juvenile green turtle (Chelonia mydas) abundance differs among nearshore reefs, but why some sites are preferred over others is unknown. My study had two objectives: to quantify differences in abundance over time (one year) and to determine what ecological factors were correlated with those differences. I conducted quarterly surveys on reefs in Palm Beach and Broward Counties and compared reef sites with respect to (i) water depth, (ii) algal abundance and composition, and (iii) changes in reef area (caused by sand covering) through time (11 years). Turtles were most abundant on shallow reefs exposed to high light levels that remained stable (uncovered by sand) for long periods of time. These reefs had the highest diversity of algal species, in part because cropping by the turtles prevented any one species from becoming dominant. My results suggest that both physical and biological factors make some reefs more attractive to turtles than others

Extent

48 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA0004064

Format

pdf

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