scholarly journals Rapid authenticity testing of artificially bred green turtles (Chelonia mydas) using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA markers

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12410
Author(s):  
Ting Zhang ◽  
Liu Lin ◽  
Daniel Gaillard ◽  
Fang Chen ◽  
Huaiqing Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern China ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Sulu Sea ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Genetic Matching ◽  
Artificial Breeding ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
D Loop

Sea turtles are threatened by climate change and human activity, and their global populations continue to decline sharply. The Chinese government encourages artificial breeding of sea turtles to reduce the use of wild populations. However, artificial breeding of sea turtles is still fairly difficult, and some facilities may illegally purchase wild turtle eggs and then sell incubated turtles by marketing them as artificially bred turtles, which adds another threat to an already endangered species. Therefore, it is necessary to find a reliable method to distinguish the authenticity of artificially bred individuals. In this study, we investigated a turtle farm in southern China, that contained more than 400 green turtles, which were claimed to have been bred in captivity. Parentage testing of turtles from this farm was successfully conducted using two nuclear microsatellites combined with a mitochondrial D-loop DNA marker. Genetic matching of all 19 adults and randomly selected 16 juvenile turtles revealed that none of the juvenile turtles had a matching parent combination among the adult turtles. Therefore, we speculated that the green turtles in this farm were from the wild and that their origin of birth was mainly the Sulu Sea. The methods and molecular markers used in this study could be a reference for rapid authenticity testing of green turtles in future forensic enforcement and population management.

Estimating past and present sex ratios of sea turtles in Suriname

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew H. Godfrey ◽  
N. Mrosovsky ◽  
R. Barreto
Keyword(s):  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Dermochelys Coriacea ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Sand Temperature ◽  
Turtle Conservation ◽  
Sea Turtle Conservation

Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles in Suriname lay eggs over several months of the year. During this nesting season, changes in rainfall produce changes in sand temperature, which in turn influence the sexual differentiation of incubating sea turtle embryos. The overall sex ratio of leatherback and green sea turtle hatchlings produced at Matapica beach in Suriname was investigated. Estimates of the sex ratios of these turtles in 1993 (green turtles 63.8% female, leatherbacks 69.4% female) were roughly 10% more female-biased than those from an earlier study in 1982. For both species, a significant negative relationship was found between monthly rainfall and monthly sex ratios. Using this relationship and data on rainfall in the past, it was possible to estimate overall sex ratios for an additional 12 years. These estimates varied considerably among different years, ranging from 20 to 90% female in the case of green turtles. Nevertheless, males tended to be produced primarily in April and May, while some females were produced in all months. Such seasonal patterns of production of turtles of different sexes have implications for sea turtle conservation programs that involve manipulating or harvesting eggs.

Increase of sea turtles stranding records in Rhodes Island (eastern Mediterranean Sea): update of a long-term survey

2013 ◽  
Vol 93 (7) ◽  
pp. 1991-2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Corsini-Foka ◽  
Gerasimos Kondylatos ◽  
Elias Santorinios
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Loggerhead Turtle ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Fishing Ground ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Loggerhead Turtles

A total of 209 strandings of sea turtles (152 loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta, 42 green turtles Chelonia mydas, 15 unidentified) were recorded during the period 1984–2011 along the coasts of Rhodes (Aegean Sea, Greece). The proportion of dead to live individuals was different in the two species. Stranded Caretta caretta were larger than Chelonia mydas. The size range of stranded green turtles, usually juveniles, appeared to increase since 2000, including the largest specimens ever observed in Greek waters. For both species, a tendency to strand more frequently on the west coast of the island, along fishing ground areas, was noted. The higher incidence of loggerhead turtle strandings was observed in summer, while more green turtle strandings were documented in winter. Factors involved in the increased trend of stranding records of both species, along with the acceleration of this phenomenon in the last decade, are discussed. Data from Rhodes provide evidence that human activities detrimentally affect mainly larger-sized loggerhead turtles living in shallow waters.

scholarly journals Establishing a protocol for thromboelastography in sea turtles

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Barratclough ◽  
Rita Hanel ◽  
Nicole I Stacy ◽  
Laura K Ruterbories ◽  
Emily Christiansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Global Evaluation ◽  
Intrinsic Pathway ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
One Year ◽  
Species Specific

Thromboelastography (TEG) provides a global evaluation of haemostasis. This diagnostic test is widely used in mammals but has not previously been performed in reptiles, mainly due to the limited availability of taxon-specific reagents. The objective of this pilot study was to establish a protocol to perform TEG in sea turtles. Pooled citrated plasma, stored at −80°C, from four green turtles (Chelonia mydas) was assayed on a TEG 5000. Several initiators were evaluated: kaolin (n=2), RapidTEG (n=2), fresh (n=2) and frozen (n=6) thromboplastin extracted from pooled brain tissue from several chelonian species, human recombinant tissue factor at 1:100 (n=1), Reptilase (n=2), and rabbit thromboplastin (n=1). Both fresh and frozen chelonian thromboplastin were superior in producing quantifiable TEG reaction time compared with all other reagents. These findings are consistent with the lack of an intrinsic pathway in turtles and confirmed a lack of coagulation in the turtle samples in response to mammalian thromboplastin. A TEG protocol was subsequently established for harvested species-specific frozen thromboplastin. The frozen thromboplastin reagent remained stable after one year of storage at −80°C. The developed protocol will be useful as a basis for future studies that aim to understand the pathophysiology of haemostatic disorders in various stranding conditions of sea turtles.

Gas embolism and massive blunt force trauma to sea turtles entrained in hopper dredges in North and South Carolina, USA

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. 189-196
Author(s):  
CA Harms ◽  
SM Boylan ◽  
BA Stacy ◽  
JF Beasley ◽  
D García-Párraga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Decompression Sickness ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Bacterial Overgrowth ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Pressure Change ◽  
Blunt Force ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Right

Decompression sickness (DCS) has been described mainly in loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta bycaught in trawls and gillnets. Here we present cases of gas emboli (GE) in 8 green turtles Chelonia mydas and 2 Kemp’s ridleys Lepidochelys kempii entrained in hopper dredges that were working at 8.8-15.2 m depths during shipping channel maintenance or beach renourishment activities. Turtle weights ranged from 2.2 to 6.7 kg. All were found alive with blunt force injuries from passage through the dredge and were taken to rehabilitation facilities. Four green turtles died or were euthanized within 24 h. Six turtles survived. Radiographic or ultrasonographic evidence of GE was detected in 4 turtles, including 3 mortalities. Computed tomography (CT) revealed perirenal and cervical GE in 4 turtles, including 1 mortality. No GE were detected in 2 of the survivors. Upon necropsy, GE were found in mesenteric vessels, the right atrium, and kidneys. Histopathology confirmed that tissues were in a good state of preservation without evidence of bacterial overgrowth or putrefactive gas formation. Death likely resulted primarily from massive tissue trauma from the dredge, but moderate GE could have led to DCS and complicated recovery. The surviving turtles weighed less than those that did not survive. Besides hypothesized stress/exercise-induced circulatory changes of blood through the lungs and pressure reduction of forced surfacing from depth, drastic pressure change within the dredge pipes before and after the pump could contribute to GE. Hopper dredge entrainment is an additional cause of GE and potential DCS in sea turtles.

Vessel-related mortality of sea turtles in Queensland, Australia

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Hazel ◽  
Emma Gyuris
Keyword(s):  
East Coast ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Trawl Fishery ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
Threat Mitigation ◽  
Environment Protection Authority

Identification of threats is a standard component of conservation planning and the ability to rank threats may improve the allocation of scarce resources in threat-mitigation programs. For vulnerable and endangered sea turtles in Australia, vessel strike is recognised as an important threat but its severity relative to other threats remains speculative. Documented evidence for this problem is available only in stranding records collected by the Queensland Environment Protection Authority. With the authority’s support we assessed the scope and quality of the data and analysed vessel-related records. We found adequate evidence that during the period 1999–2002 at least 65 turtles were killed annually as a result of collisions with vessels on the Queensland east coast. This level of mortality appears broadly comparable to that recorded in the Queensland East Coast Trawl Fishery before the introduction of mandatory turtle-exclusion devices in that fishery. Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) comprised the majority of vessel-related records, followed by loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), and 72% of cases concerned adult or subadult turtles. The majority of vessel-related records came from the greater Moreton Bay area, followed by Hervey Bay and Cleveland Bay. The waters of all three areas are subject to variable levels of commercial and recreational vessel traffic, and their shores are both populated and unpopulated.

scholarly journals Hematologic and biochemical characteristics of stranded green sea turtles

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duane T. March ◽  
Kimberly Vinette-Herrin ◽  
Andrew Peters ◽  
Ellen Ariel ◽  
David Blyde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Uric Acid ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Blood Parameters ◽  
Reference Intervals ◽  
Prognostic Indicators ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Green Sea Turtles ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Lower Protein

To improve understanding of pathophysiologic processes occurring in green sea turtles ( Chelonia mydas) stranded along the east coast of Australia, we retrospectively examined the hematologic and biochemical blood parameters of 127 green turtles admitted to 2 rehabilitation facilities, Dolphin Marine Magic (DMM) and Taronga Zoo (TZ), between 2002 and 2016. The predominant size class presented was small immature animals (SIM), comprising 88% and 69% of admissions to DMM and TZ, respectively. Significant differences in blood profiles were noted between facility, size, and outcome. Elevated levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and heterophils were poor prognostic indicators in animals from TZ, but not DMM. SIM animals at both institutions had lower protein levels than large older (LO) animals. SIM animals at DMM also had lower hematocrit and monocyte concentration; SIM animals at TZ had lower heterophil counts. Urea was measured for 27 SIM animals from TZ, but the urea-to-uric acid ratio was not prognostically useful. Strong correlations were seen between AST and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH; r = 0.68) and uric acid and bile acids ( r = 0.72) in the 45 SIM animals from DMM in which additional analytes were measured. χ2 contingency tests showed that the most recently published reference intervals were not prognostically useful. A paired t-test showed that protein levels rose and heterophil numbers fell in the 15 SIM animals from TZ during the rehabilitation process. Our results indicate that further work is required to identify reliable prognostic biomarkers for green turtles.

scholarly journals Molecular Assessment of Chelonid Alphaherpesvirus 5 Infection in Tumor-Free Green (Chelonia mydas) and Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Sea Turtles in North Carolina, USA, 2015–2019

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Page-Karjian ◽  
Maria E. Serrano ◽  
Jeffrey Cartzendafner ◽  
Ashley Morgan ◽  
Branson W. Ritchie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Green Turtles

Fibropapillomatosis is associated with chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) and tumor formation in sea turtles. We collected blood samples from 113 green (Chelonia mydas) and 112 loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles without fibropapillomatosis, including 46 free-ranging turtles (20 green turtles, 26 loggerheads), captured in Core Sound, North Carolina, and 179 turtles (93 green turtles, 86 loggerheads) in rehabilitative care in North Carolina. Blood samples were analyzed for ChHV5 DNA using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and for antibodies to ChHV5 peptides using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). None of the samples from foraging turtles tested positive for ChHV5 by qPCR; ELISA was not used for foraging turtles. Samples from 18/179 (10.1%) rehabilitating turtles tested positive for ChHV5 using qPCR, and 32/56 (57.1%) rehabilitating turtles tested positive for antibodies to ChHV5 using ELISA. Five turtles that tested positive by qPCR or ELISA at admission converted to being undetectable during rehabilitation, and five that initially tested negative converted to being positive. Both sea turtle species were significantly more likely to test positive for ChHV5 using ELISA than with qPCR (p < 0.001). There was no difference in the proportions of green turtles versus loggerheads that tested positive for ChHV5 using qPCR, but loggerheads were significantly more likely than green turtles to test positive for ChHV5 using ELISA. This finding suggests that loggerheads infected with ChHV5 at some point in their life may be more able than green turtles to mount an effective immune response against recrudescent infection, pointing to species-specific genetic differences in the two species’ immune response to ChHV5 infection. This is the first study to analyze antibodies to ChHV5 in loggerhead turtles and represents the most complete dataset on ChHV5 DNA detection in sea turtles encountered in the more northern latitudes of their western Atlantic habitat.

scholarly journals Pengaruh Kedalaman Sarang Penetasan Penyu Hijau (Chelonia mydas) terhadap Masa Inkubasi dan Persentase Keberhasilan Penetasan di Pantai Sukamade, Taman Nasional Meru Betiri, Banyuwangi Jawa Timur [Effect of Nesting Site Depth of Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) on the Incubation Period and Hatching Success Percentage in Sukamade Beach, Meru Betiri National Park, Banyuwangi in East Java]

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Abang Aldhian R. Putera ◽  
Laksmi Sulmartiwi ◽  
Wahju Tjahjaningsih
Keyword(s):  
Incubation Period ◽  
Green Turtle ◽  
National Park ◽  
Hatching Success ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
The Other ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Egg Incubation ◽  
Range Test

Abstract Indonesia is an archipelago that is rich in diversity of flora and fauna. One of these is a wealth of fauna species of sea turtles. All species of sea turtles in the world by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) put in Appendix I as endangered and protected and not allowed to be traded. The purpose of this study was to determine effect the ratio of the depth from nest egg incubation and hatching percentage of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) nests at different depths in Sukamade, Betiri Meru National Park, Banyuwangi, East Java. The design of the study is a randomized block design (RGD). The groups as replicates for RGD, between groups or experimental material media are considered uniform. The results showed that the average incubation period was 58.87 +0.39 days, then the results were followed by Duncan's multiple range test, which showed that the highest yield obtained by the depth of 50 cm wasn’t significantly different (p> 0.05) with depth of 30 cm and 70 cm. While the results obtained at the lowest depth of 90 cm was significantly different (p <0.05) with the other depth (30 cm, 50 cm and 70 cm). While the percentage of hatching success obtained in average hatching was 88.12 + 0.38%. The Duncan's multiple range test analysis, showed that at a depth of 70 cm were not significantly different (p <0.05) from depth of 50 cm, but 70 and 50 cm depth was significantly different (p> 0.05) from another depth. Whereas the lowest hatching results obtained on depth of 90 cm are significantly different (p> 0.05) from the other depth (30 cm, 50 cm and 70 cm). The conclusion of this study was different depth of green turtle nests affect the egg incubation period and the percentage of egg hatching success of green turtles.

scholarly journals Detection and characterization of fibropapilloma associated herpesvirus of marine turtles in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 1179-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla R. Rodenbusch ◽  
Laura L. Almeida ◽  
Fernanda S. Marks ◽  
Michelli W. Ataíde ◽  
Marcelo M. Alievi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Factors ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Rio Grande ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Rio Grande Do Sul ◽  
Marine Turtles ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Dna Fragment ◽  
First Time

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a benign tumoral disease that affects sea turtles, hampering movement, sight and feeding, ultimately leading to death. In Brazil, the disease was described for the first time in 1986. Research suggests the involvement of a herpesvirus in association with environmental and genetic factors as causal agents of FP. The objective of the present study was to detect and characterize this herpesvirus in sea turtles living in the coast of state Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. From October 2008 to July 2010, 14 turtles were observed between the beaches of Torres and Tavares, of which 11 were green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and 3 were loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). All turtles were young and mean curved carapace length was 37.71±7.82cm, and varied from 31 to 55cm. Only one green turtle presented a 1cm, papillary, pigmented fibropapilloma. Skin and fibropapilloma samples were analyzed by conventional and real time PCR assays to detect and quantify herpesvirus. All skin samples were negative, though the fibropapilloma specimen was positive in both tests. Viral load was 9,917.04 copies of viral genome per milligram of tissue. The DNA fragment amplified from the fibropapilloma sample was sequenced and allocated in the Atlantic phylogeographic group. This study reports the first molecular characterization of herpesvirus associated with fibropapilloma in turtles from the coast of RS.

scholarly journals Plastic ingestion by sea turtles in Paraíba State, Northeast Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Poli ◽  
Daniel Oliveira Mesquita ◽  
Cinthia Saska ◽  
Rita Mascarenhas
Keyword(s):  
Gastrointestinal Tract ◽  
Carapace Length ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Northeast Brazil ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Olive Ridley ◽  
Eretmochelys Imbricata ◽  
Lepidochelys Olivacea ◽  
Green Turtles

ABSTRACT Currently, plastics are recognized as a major pollutant of the marine environment, representing a serious threat to ocean wildlife. Here, we examined the occurrence and effects of plastic ingestion by sea turtles found stranded along the coast of Paraíba State, Brazil from August 2009 to July 2010. Ninety-eight digestive tracts were examined, with plastic found in 20 (20.4%). Sixty five percent (n = 13) of turtles with plastic in the digestive tract were green turtles (Chelonia mydas), 25% (n = 5) were hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata), and 10% (n = 2) were olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea). More plastic was found in the intestine (85%) than in other parts of the gastrointestinal tract. We observed complete blockage of the gastrointestinal tract due to the presence of plastic in 13 of the 20 turtles that had ingested plastic. No correlation was found between the curved carapace length (CCL) and the number or mass of the plastic ingested items. Significant differences were found between the intake of hard and soft plastic and the ingestion of white/transparent and colored plastic, with soft and white/transparent plastics being more commonly ingested. This study reveals the serious problem of plastic pollution to sea turtles at the area.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document