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Predation of sea turtle eggs by rats and crabs

Holly Stokes, Nicole Esteban Orcid Logo, Graeme C. Hays Orcid Logo

Marine Biology, Volume: 171, Issue: 1

Swansea University Authors: Holly Stokes, Nicole Esteban Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1007/s00227-023-04327-9

Abstract

Egg predation by invasive and native species may have severe impacts on endangered species and negatively affect species recovery. We assessed the levels of egg predation within green turtle (Chelonia mydas) clutches on the island of Diego Garcia (7.42°S, 72.45°E), Chagos Archipelago (Indian Ocean)....

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Published in: Marine Biology
ISSN: 0025-3162 1432-1793
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2024
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa64969
first_indexed 2023-11-23T13:51:30Z
last_indexed 2024-11-25T14:15:06Z
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spelling 2023-11-23T13:54:31.1465494 v2 64969 2023-11-13 Predation of sea turtle eggs by rats and crabs 6ee6932996059ed9e4d581641acce2f7 Holly Stokes Holly Stokes true false fb2e760b83b4580e7445092982f1f319 0000-0003-4693-7221 Nicole Esteban Nicole Esteban true false 2023-11-13 BGPS Egg predation by invasive and native species may have severe impacts on endangered species and negatively affect species recovery. We assessed the levels of egg predation within green turtle (Chelonia mydas) clutches on the island of Diego Garcia (7.42°S, 72.45°E), Chagos Archipelago (Indian Ocean). Native coconut crabs (Birgus latro) and ghost crabs (Ocypode spp.), as well as introduced black rats (Rattus rattus), were predators of eggs, with these species entering nests via tunnels dug obliquely in the sand. Often whole eggs were removed from clutches. For example, the mean clutch size at oviposition (mean 127.8 eggs, n = 23, range = 74–176) was significantly larger than at the end of incubation (mean 110.9 hatched and unhatched eggs, n = 16, range = 9–147). In other cases, egg predation was recorded where the egg had been opened and contents were eaten in the nest. Overall, hatching success (the percentage of eggs laid leading to a hatchling emerging from the egg) was 64.9%, while 3.1% of eggs were predated within nests, 18.1% died during incubation without predation and 13.9% were removed. We reviewed evidence from 34 sites around the world identifying 36 predators that were either native (e.g., crabs, and goannas, n = 30) or invasive (e.g., rats, and pigs, n = 8). Depending on location, a predator could be identified as both native and invasive (e.g., dogs). We discuss how either nest protection and/or invasive predator eradication may be used to increase egg survival and when these approaches might be used. Journal Article Marine Biology 171 1 Springer Science and Business Media LLC 0025-3162 1432-1793 Invasive species · Predator management · Conservation · Rat eradication · Marine protected area (MPA) · Marine turtle 30 1 2024 2024-01-30 10.1007/s00227-023-04327-9 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-023-04327-9 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Fondation Bertarelli. Grant number 2017-4, 820633. 2023-11-23T13:54:31.1465494 2023-11-13T10:41:16.8619953 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences Holly Stokes 1 Nicole Esteban 0000-0003-4693-7221 2 Graeme C. Hays 0000-0002-3314-8189 3 64969__29094__05480e31f8a142878e69c4ba7c4cbef6.pdf 64969.VOR.pdf 2023-11-23T13:50:18.0552935 Output 1325748 application/pdf Version of Record true Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY 4.0 licence. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Predation of sea turtle eggs by rats and crabs
spellingShingle Predation of sea turtle eggs by rats and crabs
Holly Stokes
Nicole Esteban
title_short Predation of sea turtle eggs by rats and crabs
title_full Predation of sea turtle eggs by rats and crabs
title_fullStr Predation of sea turtle eggs by rats and crabs
title_full_unstemmed Predation of sea turtle eggs by rats and crabs
title_sort Predation of sea turtle eggs by rats and crabs
author_id_str_mv 6ee6932996059ed9e4d581641acce2f7
fb2e760b83b4580e7445092982f1f319
author_id_fullname_str_mv 6ee6932996059ed9e4d581641acce2f7_***_Holly Stokes
fb2e760b83b4580e7445092982f1f319_***_Nicole Esteban
author Holly Stokes
Nicole Esteban
author2 Holly Stokes
Nicole Esteban
Graeme C. Hays
format Journal article
container_title Marine Biology
container_volume 171
container_issue 1
publishDate 2024
institution Swansea University
issn 0025-3162
1432-1793
doi_str_mv 10.1007/s00227-023-04327-9
publisher Springer Science and Business Media LLC
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-023-04327-9
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description Egg predation by invasive and native species may have severe impacts on endangered species and negatively affect species recovery. We assessed the levels of egg predation within green turtle (Chelonia mydas) clutches on the island of Diego Garcia (7.42°S, 72.45°E), Chagos Archipelago (Indian Ocean). Native coconut crabs (Birgus latro) and ghost crabs (Ocypode spp.), as well as introduced black rats (Rattus rattus), were predators of eggs, with these species entering nests via tunnels dug obliquely in the sand. Often whole eggs were removed from clutches. For example, the mean clutch size at oviposition (mean 127.8 eggs, n = 23, range = 74–176) was significantly larger than at the end of incubation (mean 110.9 hatched and unhatched eggs, n = 16, range = 9–147). In other cases, egg predation was recorded where the egg had been opened and contents were eaten in the nest. Overall, hatching success (the percentage of eggs laid leading to a hatchling emerging from the egg) was 64.9%, while 3.1% of eggs were predated within nests, 18.1% died during incubation without predation and 13.9% were removed. We reviewed evidence from 34 sites around the world identifying 36 predators that were either native (e.g., crabs, and goannas, n = 30) or invasive (e.g., rats, and pigs, n = 8). Depending on location, a predator could be identified as both native and invasive (e.g., dogs). We discuss how either nest protection and/or invasive predator eradication may be used to increase egg survival and when these approaches might be used.
published_date 2024-01-30T08:25:49Z
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