Abstract
Multi-species assemblages can help identify key resources in their habitat by evaluating how they are partitioning their resources. Here we used the isotopic niche of loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, and green sea turtles to assess their ecological niche within a Gulf of Mexico bay. Additionally, we assessed temporal and size-class variation in their diets by comparing the δ13C and δ15N values over various capture years and size classes. Based on the isotopic niche overlap results, interspecific competition occurs among loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley, and smaller green turtles. Green turtle and Kemp’s ridley diet varied by size class, while Kemp’s ridley diet also varied temporally. The three species partition resources by selecting different preferred diet items, although some overlap in diet, including between the herbivorous (green) and carnivorous (Kemp’s ridley, loggerhead) species, appears to occur. The high quality of this habitat may allow species co-existence and population recovery despite the possible use of shared resources.
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Data availability
The data supporting the findings in this publication are available in the ScienceBase database at: Arends et al. (2023).
Code availability
R statistical software with the following packages were used for analysis: SIBER, mvnormtest, siar, sp, splancs, simmr, and AICmodavg.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Jason Curtis for his help with stable isotope analysis. We also thank Dan Catizone, Joseph Alday, Michael Palandri, and Samantha Wyandt for their help with sample collection. We thank Jill Borque (U.S. Geological Survey) and two anonymous reviewers for feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
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This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Geological Survey under Cooperative Agreement No G19AC00373 and Eglin Air Force Base under agreement F2MUAA1274GW01.
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All authors contributed to the original manuscript and edits; CLA led field data collection, processed and analyzed all data, MML conceived of the project, supervised field data collection and garnered funding, and HBVZ funded and supervised lab analyses and led interpretation of stable isotope results.
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This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Geological Survey under Cooperative Agreement No G19AC00373 and Eglin Air Force Base under agreement F2MUAA1274GW01. There is no conflict of interest. All applicable international, national and/or institutional guidelines for sampling, care and experimental use of organisms for the study have been followed and all necessary approvals have been obtained. All research was conducted under permits issued by the State of Florida (MTP 118, 152) and U.S. Geological Survey Institute of Animal Care and Use Committee (USGS WARC GNV 2019–15). All research was conducted under permits issued by the State of Florida (MTP 118, 152) and USGS Institute of Animal Care and Use Committee (USGS WARC GNV 2019–15).
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Arends, C.L., Vander Zanden, H.B. & Lamont, M.M. Isotopic niche partitioning in a multi-species assemblage. Mar Biol 171, 2 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-023-04317-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-023-04317-x