The Investigations of The Nesting Status of The Green Turtle Chelonia Mydas on Yeniyurt Beach (Hatay) in The Northeastern Mediterranean, Turkey

Abstract

A new nesting site that is not previously designated as a nesting beach was investigated for the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting. The Yeniyurt Beach is bordered by BOTAŞ Port to the south and Seçil Holiday Houses to the north. The small water channel in Yeniyurt Public Beach is taken to the reference point of which can be divided as the north, 2600 m long, and the south, 1400 m long. The beach was monitored between 15 June and 15 September in 2019. A total of 182 green turtle emergences occurred, and 85 (46.7%) of them were recorded as nests. The nest density was found as 21.2 clutches yr-1. The temporal distribution of the nests was found to be 52.9%, 45.8% and 1.3% in June, July and August, respectively. Besides, the average nest depth and incubation duration was 71.9cm ±8.2 (n=70) and 52.6 days ±4.4 (n=70), respectively. A total of 7362 eggs were laid in these nests and 6274 (85.2%) of them hatched. The average clutch size and number of empty eggshells were found to be 105.2 ±30.1 (40-199) and 89.6 ±26.4 (35-154), respectively. The average number of hatchlings reaching the sea was 62.8 ±20.8 (70.1%). Yeniyurt beach can be considered as a moderate dense beach (20−99 clutches yr-1; ≥6.5 clutches km-1 yr-1) for green turtle nesting based on previous studies in the Mediterranean.

Keywords

• Green Turtle
• Chelonia mydas
• New Nesting Beach
• Northeastern Mediterranean
• Hatay

Project Number

DBD-2019-P01

References

1. Türkozan, O. and Kaska, Y., (2010). Turkey: pp:257-294. In: Casale, P and Margaritoulis, D. (eds). Sea turtles in the Mediterranean: Distribution, Threats and Conservation Priorities. Gland. Switzerland, IUCN.
2. Casale, P., Broderick, A.C., Camiñas, J.A., Cardona, L., Carreras, C., Demetropoulos, A., Fuller, W.J., Godley, B.J., Hochscheid, S., Kaska, Y., Lazar, B., Margaritoulis, D., Panagopoulou, A., Rees, A.F., Tomás, J., and Türkozan, O., (2018). Mediterranean Sea Turtles: Current Knowledge and Priorities for Conservation and Research. Endanger Species Res, 36:229–267. doi:10.3354/esr00901.
3. Sönmez, B., Sammy, D., Yalçın-Özdilek, Ş., Gönenler, Ö.A., Açıkbaş, U., Ergün, Y., and Kaska, Y., (2008). A Stranded Leatherback Sea Turtle in the Northeastern Mediterranean, Hatay, Turkey. Mar. Turtle Newsl. 119, 12.
4. Candan, O. and Canbolat, A.F., (2018). New Record of a Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) Stranding in Turkey. Biharean Biol. e172301.
5. Wallace, B.P., DiMatteo, A.D., Hurley, B.J., and Finkbeiner, E.M. (2010). Regional Management Units for Marine Turtles: a Novel Framework for Prioritizing Conservation and Research Across Multiple Scales. PLOS ONE 5: e15465.
6. Seminoff, J.A., (2004). Chelonia mydas. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004: e. T4615A11037468. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN. UK. 2004. RLTS. T4615A11037468.
7. Casale, P., (2015). Caretta caretta (Mediterranean subpopulation). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T83644804A83646294.
8. Margaritoulis, D., Argano, R., Baran, I., Bentivegna, F., Bradai, M.N., Caminas, J.A., and Godley, B.J., (2003). Loggerhead Turtles in the Mediterranean: Present Knowledge and Conservation Perspectives. Loggerhead Sea Turtles. A. Bolten, Witherington, B. Washington and London. Smithsonian Institution Press. Margaritoulis, D. (2005). “Nesting Activity and Reproductive Output of Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Caretta caretta, Over, 19, 1984-2002.

9. Türkozan, O., Taşkavak, E., and Ilgaz, Ç., (2003). A Review of the Biology of the Loggerhead Turtle, Caretta caretta, at Five Major Nesting Beaches on the South-western Mediterranean Coast of Turkey. Herpetological Journal, Vol:13-27-33.
10. Canbolat, A.F., (2004). A Review of Sea Turtle Nesting Activity Along the Mediterranean Coast of Turkey. Biological Conservation, 116-81-91.
11. Kaska, Y., Başkale, E., Katılmış, Y., and Urhan, R., (2005). The Nesting Population and Spatial Distrubition of Loggerhead Sea Turtles Nest on Dalaman Beach, Turkey. Paper Presented at Second Mediterranean Conference on Marine Turtles. Antalya,Turkey.
12. Yalçın-Özdilek, Ş., Kırbeci, S., Yalçın, S., Altın, A., Uzatıcı, A., Tosunoğlu, M., Ayaz, A., Öztekin, A., and Sönmez, B., (2020). The First Record of Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta) Nesting on the Northernmost Aegean Coast, Turkey. Natural and Engineering Sciences, 5(3):198-203.
13. Yalçın-Özdilek, Ş., (2007). Status of Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas and Caretta caretta) on Samandağ Beach, Turkey: a Five-Year Monitoring Study. In Annales Zoologici Fennici (pp:333-347). Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board.
14. Gerosa, G., Aureggi, M., Casale, P., and Yerli, S.V., (1998). Green Turtle Nesting at Akyatan Beach, Turkey, 1994–1997. Marine Turtle Newsletter, 81, 4–5.
15. Broderick, A.C., Glen, F., Godley, B.J., and Hays, G.C., (2002). Estimating the number of Green and Loggerhead Turtles Nesting Annually in the Mediterranean. Oryx, 36, 227–235.
16. Sert, M., Sönmez, B. ve Yalçın Özdilek, Ş., (2017). Hatay Kıyılarında Yeşil Deniz Kaplumbağası (Chelonia mydas) Populasyonu İçin Potansiyel Yeni Bir Yuvalama Kumsalı: Dörtyol/Yeniyurt Kumsalı. V. Ulusal Deniz Kaplumbağaları Sempozyumu, Kuşadası/Aydın, pp:36.
17. Pritchard, P.C.H., Mortimer, J.A., (1999). Taxonomy, External Morphology, and Species Identification, p:21-38. In: Karen L. Eckert, Karen A. Bjorndal, F. Alberto Abreu G. and Marydele Donnelly (eds.), Research and Management Techniques for the Conservation of Sea Turtles. IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group Publ. No. 4. Washington, D.C.
18. Weishampel, J.F., Bagley, D.A., Ehrhart, L.M., and Rodenbeck, B.L. (2003). Spatiotemporal Patterns of Annual Sea Turtle Nesting Behaviors along an East-Central Florida Beach. Biological Conservation, 34, 251–272.
19. Yılmaz C., Oruç A., and Türkozan O., (2015). Marine Turtles (Chelonia mydas and Caretta caretta) Nesting Along the Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Turkey: Results from Six Years of surveying. Herpetological Journal, 25(4):197–204.
20. Ergene, S., Aymak, C., Uçar, A.H., and Kaçar, Y., (2013). Kazanlı Kumsalı’na (Mersin) Yuva Yapan Chelonia mydas ve Caretta caretta Populasyonlarının 2006 Üreme Sezonunda Araştırılması. Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 30, 51–59.
21. Yalçın-Özdilek, Ş., Özdilek, H.G., and Ozaner, F.S., (2007). Possible Influence of Beach Sand Characteristics on Green Turtle Nesting Activity on Samandağ Beach, Turkey. Journal of Coastal Research, 1379-1390.
22. Bjorndal, K.A. and Carr, A., (1989). Variation in Clutch size and Egg Size in the Green Turtle Nesting Population at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Herpetologica, 181-189.
23. Hays, G.C., Adams, C.R., and Speakman, J.R., (1993). Reproductive Investment by Green Turtles Nesting on Ascension Island. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 71(6):1098-1103.
24. Cardona, L., Clusa, M., Eder, E., Demetropoulos, A., Margaritoulis, D., Rees, A.F., and Marín, I., (2014). Distribution Patterns and Foraging Ground Productivity Determine The Clutch Size in Mediterranean Loggerhead Turtles. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 497, 229-241.
25. Sönmez, B. and Yalçın-Özdilek, Ş., (2013). Conservation Technique of Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas L. 1758) nest under the risk of tidal inundation with hatcheries, on Samandağ beach, Turkey. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 20, 19–26.
26. Broderick, A.C. and Godley, B.J., (1996). Population and Nesting Ecology of the Green Turtle, Chelonia Mydas, and The Loggerhead Turtle, Caretta caretta, in Northern Cyprus. Zoology in the Middle East, 13, 27-46.
27. Candan, E.D., (2018). Molecular Identification of Fungal Isolates and Hatching Success of Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) Nests. Arch Microbiol 200:911-919.
28. McGehee, M.A., (1990). Effects of Moisture on Eggs and Hatchlings of Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta). Herpetologica, 46, 251–258.
29. Hewavisenthi, S. and Parmenter, J., (2002). Incubation Environment and Nest Success of the Flatback Turtle (Natator depressus) from a Natural Nesting Beach. Copeia. 2, 302–312.
30. Türkozan O., Ilgaz Ç., Taşkavak, E., and Özdemir, A., (2003). Hatch Rates of Loggerhead Turtles and Physical Characteristics of the Beach at Fethiye, Turkey. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK, 83, 231–232.
31. Hirth, H.F. and Schaffer, W.M., (1974). Survival Rate of the Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas, Necessary To Maintain Stable Populations. Copeia, 1974(2):544-546.
32. Richardson, J.I., Richardson, T.H., (1982). An Experimental Population Model for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta). Pp. 165-176. In K. A. Bjorndal (Ed.), Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.