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Phenology of nesting marine turtles in the Cayman Islands

Author

Listed:
  • Liliana P Colman
  • Jane L Hardwick
  • Timothy J Austin
  • Janice M Blumenthal
  • Gina Ebanks-Petrie
  • Brendan J Godley
  • Lorri D Lamb
  • Alejandro Prat-Varela
  • Joseph Roche-Chaloner
  • Annette C Broderick

Abstract

Climate-driven shifts in the phenology of species are altering ecosystems worldwide and have been documented in many species, including marine turtles. We present a 26 year analysis of population trends and nesting phenology for green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles in the Cayman Islands and show that although the onset of nesting has advanced for both species (by 0.6 days.yr-1 for green turtles and 0.7 days.yr-1 for loggerhead turtles), the peak of nesting has not significantly changed. The end of the nesting season for green turtles has been delayed by 1.0 days.yr-1, extending the nesting season by 1.6 days.yr-1, whereas no significant change in season duration was observed for loggerhead turtles. Over the study period, sea surface temperature (SST) at the nesting beach has increased significantly, with warmer temperatures correlating with earlier nesting for both species. The number of nests laid each year has also increased annually by 12.4% for green turtles and 8.1% for loggerheads but did not have a significant relationship with any phenological measures (onset, peak, end, or duration of nesting season). Our data suggest that marine turtles in the Cayman Islands are shifting the onset of nesting toward cooler periods outside peak summer months however there was no change to the peak of nesting for either species. Whether this shift mitigates the impacts of rising temperatures on clutch incubation and offspring sex ratios remains unclear.

Suggested Citation

  • Liliana P Colman & Jane L Hardwick & Timothy J Austin & Janice M Blumenthal & Gina Ebanks-Petrie & Brendan J Godley & Lorri D Lamb & Alejandro Prat-Varela & Joseph Roche-Chaloner & Annette C Broderick, 2025. "Phenology of nesting marine turtles in the Cayman Islands," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(12), pages 1-18, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0338445
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0338445
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mayeul Dalleau & Stéphane Ciccione & Jeanne A Mortimer & Julie Garnier & Simon Benhamou & Jérôme Bourjea, 2012. "Nesting Phenology of Marine Turtles: Insights from a Regional Comparative Analysis on Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(10), pages 1-13, October.
    2. Camille Parmesan & Nils Ryrholm & Constantí Stefanescu & Jane K. Hill & Chris D. Thomas & Henri Descimon & Brian Huntley & Lauri Kaila & Jaakko Kullberg & Toomas Tammaru & W. John Tennent & Jeremy A. , 1999. "Poleward shifts in geographical ranges of butterfly species associated with regional warming," Nature, Nature, vol. 399(6736), pages 579-583, June.
    3. Humphrey Q. P. Crick & Caroline Dudley & David E. Glue & David L. Thomson, 1997. "UK birds are laying eggs earlier," Nature, Nature, vol. 388(6642), pages 526-526, August.
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