Multiple Paternity in a Reintroduced Rookery of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles on South Padre Island, Texas

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Anna M. Frankel ◽  
Dean A. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽  
Padre Island ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

scholarly journals Evaluation of Gonadal Tissue to Validate Size at Reproductive Maturity in Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles Found Stranded in Texas, USA

Diversity ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Stephenson Craven ◽  
Jay York Seabright Hodgson ◽  
Donna Jill Shaver ◽  
Jennifer Shelby Walker ◽  
Martha Ramona Villalba-Guerra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Power ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Conservation Priorities ◽  
Reproductive Maturity ◽  
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽  
Padre Island ◽  
Demographic Shifts ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

The Kemp’s ridley, Lepidochelys kempii, is the most endangered sea turtle in the world. Anthropogenic mortality of Kemp’s ridleys has been well documented in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), USA. We evaluated the reproductive maturity of 75 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles found dead on GOM beaches on Mustang Island and North Padre Island, Texas, USA, 1994–1999. Straight carapace length (SCL) ranged from 40.8 to 68.7 cm. Preserved gonads and associated tissues were examined and measured. Gonadal measurements were then compared with SCL. Adults and juveniles shared a larger range of carapace measurements than expected, supporting the idea that juveniles spend several years in a pubertal state. Our results suggest caution when using SCL, tail length, or curved front claws alone as indicators of sexual maturity. In fact, SCL can be used to discern adults from juveniles with more predictive power when coupled with testis length or oviduct length measurements, thus allowing endangered species managers to more clearly identify demographic shifts in the number of mature animals, which can precede population changes. This study shows that information gained from the examination of stranded sea turtles allows wildlife managers to make more informed decisions regarding conservation priorities.

Comparison of 2 glucose analytical methodologies in immature Kemp’s ridley sea turtles: dry chemistry of plasma versus point-of-care glucometer analysis of whole blood

2021 ◽  
pp. 104063872110018
Author(s):  
Justin R. Perrault ◽  
Michael D. Arendt ◽  
Jeffrey A. Schwenter ◽  
Julia L. Byrd ◽  
Kathryn A. Tuxbury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Whole Blood ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Sample Volume ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Volume Data ◽  
Analytical Methodology ◽  
Glucose Determination ◽  
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

Blood glucose measurements provide important diagnostic information regarding stress, disease, and nutritional status. Glucose analytical methodologies include dry chemistry analysis (DCA) of plasma and point-of-care (POC) glucometer analysis of whole blood; however, these 2 methods differ in cost, required sample volume, and processing time. Because POC glucometers use built-in equations based on features of mammalian blood to convert whole blood measurements to plasma equivalent units, obtained glucose data must be compared and validated using gold-standard chemistry analytical methodology in reptiles. For in-water, trawl-captured, immature Kemp’s ridley sea turtles ( Lepidochelys kempii) from Georgia, USA, we observed significant, positive agreement between the 2 glucose determination methods; however, the glucometer overestimated glucose concentrations by 1.4 mmol/L on average in comparison to DCA and produced a wider range of results. The discordance of these results suggests that POC glucometer glucose data should be interpreted in the context of methodology- and brand-specific reference intervals along with concurrent packed cell volume data.

Predicted Sex Ratio of Juvenile Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles Captured near Steinhatchee, Florida

Copeia ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (2) ◽  
pp. 393-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyssa A. Geis ◽  
William J. Barichivich ◽  
Thane Wibbels ◽  
Michael Coyne ◽  
Andre M. Landry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

scholarly journals Variation in age and size at sexual maturity in Kemp’s ridley sea turtles

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
KA Bjorndal ◽  
J Parsons ◽  
W Mustin ◽  
AB Bolten
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽  
Size At Sexual Maturity ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

scholarly journals Variability in age and size at maturation, reproductive longevity, and long-term growth dynamics for Kemp's ridley sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico

PLoS ONE ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. e0173999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larisa Avens ◽  
Lisa R. Goshe ◽  
Lewis Coggins ◽  
Donna J. Shaver ◽  
Ben Higgins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Growth Dynamics ◽  
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

The in vitro respiratory and acid–base properties of blood and tissue from the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys kempi

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 1403-1408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erich K. Stabenau ◽  
Thomas A. Heming
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Sensitivity ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Hill Coefficient ◽  
Acid Base ◽  
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽  
Dissociation Curves ◽  
Kemp's Ridley ◽  
Base Properties

We determined the in vitro respiratory and acid–base properties of blood and tissue from Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempi). Blood O2 dissociation curves of ridley turtles were sigmoid, with a P50 of 31.2 ± 0.3 (mean ± SD) torr at 25 °C and pH 7.51. Increments in temperature or [Formula: see text] were associated with a shift of the O2 dissociation curves to the right and, hence, a reduction in haemoglobin–O2 binding affinity. The apparent heat of oxygenation, which is a measure of the temperature sensitivity of haemoglobin–O2 affinity, was −10.5 kcal/mol O2. The degree of cooperativity of O2 for hemoglobin binding sites, as measured by the Hill coefficient, increased at higher temperatures (20–30 °C at a [Formula: see text] of 37 torr), but was unaffected by changes in [Formula: see text] (37–52 torr at 25 °C). The CO2-Bohr effect was −0.34 torr/pH unit. The CO2 capacitance coefficient of whole blood and plasma declined as a function of increased [Formula: see text] (22 °C). Non-bicarbonate buffer capacities (22 °C) were 19.7, 18.5, and 6.4 slykes for whole blood, true plasma, and separated plasma, respectively. The skeletal muscle myoglobin content was 3.1 ± 0.84 mg∙g−1 of tissue. The respiratory and acid–base properties of blood and tissue from Kemp's ridley sea turtles are consistent with those of species that utilize lung O2 stores during long-term aerobic dives. The enhanced haemoglobin–O2 temperature sensitivity exhibited by the ridley turtle could be a physiological adaptation for life in coastal environments that typically undergo substantial fluctuations in temperature.

scholarly journals Analysis of the fecal microbiome in Kemp’s ridley sea turtles Lepidochelys kempii undergoing rehabilitation

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 121-131
Author(s):  
MM Samuelson ◽  
EE Pulis ◽  
C Ray ◽  
CR Arias ◽  
DR Samuelson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Lepidochelys Kempii ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Fecal Microbiome ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

The impact of the intestinal and fecal microbiome on animal health has received considerable attention in recent years and has direct implications for the veterinary and wildlife rehabilitation fields. To examine the effects of rehabilitation on the microbiome in Kemp’s ridley sea turtles Lepidochelys kempii, fecal samples from 30 incidentally captured juveniles were collected during rehabilitation. Samples were analyzed to determine alpha- (α) and beta- (β) diversity as well as the taxonomic abundance of the fecal microbiota during rehabilitation and in response to treatment with antibiotics. The fecal microbial communities of animals housed in rehabilitation for a ‘short-term’ stay (samples collected 0-9 d post-capture) were compared with ‘long-term’ (samples collected 10+ d post-capture) and ‘treated’ groups (samples collected from turtles that had received antibiotic medication). Results of this study indicate that the most dominant phylum in fecal samples was Bacteroidetes (relative abundance, 45.44 ± 5.92% [SD]), followed by Firmicutes (26.62 ± 1.58%), Fusobacteria (19.49 ± 9.07%), and Proteobacteria (7.39 ± 1.84%). Similarly, at the family level, Fusobacteriaceae (28.36 ± 17.75%), Tannerellaceae (15.41 ± 10.50%), Bacteroidaceae (14.58 ± 8.48%), and Ruminococcaceae (11.49 ± 3.47%) were the most abundant. Our results indicated that both antibiotic-treated and long-term rehabilitated turtles demonstrated a significant decrease in β-diversity when compared to short-term rehabilitated turtles. Our results likewise showed that the length of time turtles spent in rehabilitation was negatively correlated with α- and β-diversity. This study demonstrates the importance of a judicious use of antibiotics during the rehabilitation process and emphasizes the importance of limiting the length of hospital stays for sick and injured sea turtles as much as possible.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document