Stress Responses and Sexing of Wild Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico

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.

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Physiological effects of capturing Kemp's ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelys kempii, in entanglement nets

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-78-11-1941 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 78 (11) ◽

pp. 1941-1947

Author(s):

Lisa A. Hoopes ◽

André M. Landry Jr. ◽

Erich K. Stabenau

Keyword(s):

Sea Turtles ◽

Physiological Effects ◽

Lepidochelys Kempii ◽

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽

Kemp's Ridley

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Ophthalmic variables in rehabilitated juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles(Lepidochelys kempii)

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association ◽

10.2460/javma.248.6.673 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 248 (6) ◽

pp. 673-680 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kara R. Gornik ◽

Christopher G. Pirie ◽

Ruth M. Marrion ◽

Julika N. Wocial ◽

Charles J. Innis

Keyword(s):

Sea Turtles ◽

Lepidochelys Kempii ◽

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽

Kemp's Ridley

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Organohalogen contaminants in blood of Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from the Gulf of Mexico

Chemosphere ◽

10.1016/j.chemosphere.2009.10.059 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 78 (6) ◽

pp. 731-741 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Robert F. Swarthout ◽

Jennifer M. Keller ◽

Margie Peden-Adams ◽

Andre M. Landry ◽

Patricia A. Fair ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gulf Of Mexico ◽

Sea Turtles ◽

Chelonia Mydas ◽

Lepidochelys Kempii ◽

Green Sea Turtles ◽

Kemp's Ridley

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Ameliorating transport-related stress in endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) with a recovery period in saltwater pools

Conservation Physiology ◽

10.1093/conphys/coy065 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kathleen E Hunt ◽

Charles Innis ◽

Constance Merigo ◽

Elizabeth A Burgess ◽

Terry Norton ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Turtles ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Lepidochelys Kempii ◽

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽

Related Stress ◽

Kemp's Ridley

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Mitochondrial DNA Evaluation and Species Identification of Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) Bones After a 3-Year Exposure to Submerged Marine and Terrestrial Environments

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2021.646455 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Elizabeth S. Krestoff ◽

James P. Creecy ◽

Wayne D. Lord ◽

Michelle L. Haynie ◽

James A. Coyer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

Dna Sequencing ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Sea Turtles ◽

Reference Sequence ◽

Sequencing Data ◽

High Quality ◽

Lepidochelys Kempii ◽

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽

Kemp's Ridley

Because Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) are critically endangered and closely related to the vulnerable olive ridleys (L. olivacea), it is essential for forensic investigations and conservation efforts to distinguish these species when only skeletal elements remain. DNA extraction and analysis by DNA sequencing of genetic markers is the only method to determine species identity reliably, yet these methods are significantly compromised when DNA becomes degraded. To evaluate the role that time and environment play in obtaining high-quality DNA sequencing data, we placed skeletal elements of a terrestrial mammal (Bos taurus) and L. kempii in a supratidal and subtidal environment for 3 years. Bi-annual sampling revealed that after 3 years, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) consistently identified each species from each environment. Our results show that mtDNA recovery from bone and identification for Kemp’s ridley sea turtles was possible up to 3 years in both environments. All sequencing data obtained was accurate and robust, but DNA sequencing results were not consistent after 664-days of exposure. Our findings led us to conclude that if sufficient DNA is extracted from bone samples, then high-quality sequence data can be obtained, and the resulting sequence data accurately reflects the reference sequence for the given gene marker. This study provides evidence that DNA can be extracted and analyzed from challenging biological substrates, like bone, when these substrates are exposed to seasonally dynamic maritime environmental conditions for up to 3-years.

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