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Magnetic orientation of loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings
- Date Issued:
- 2010
- Summary:
- Loggerhead sea turtles nest on either the Atlantic or Gulf coast of Florida. The hatchlings from these nests migrate offshore in opposite directions. The purpose of my study was to determine if Gulf coast hatchlings use magnetic maps, as Atlantic coast hatchlings do, both to locate areas favorable for survival in the Gulf of Mexico and to orient appropriately within surface currents that could transport them into the Atlantic Ocean. To find out, I presented Gulf coast hatchlings with magnetic fields corresponding to different locations inside the Gulf, and within currents leading into (Florida Straits) and within (Gulf Stream) the western portion of the Atlantic Ocean. I conclude that Gulf coast hatchlings (i) use a high resolution magnetic map for navigation within the Gulf of Mexico, (ii) initially remain within the eastern Gulf, but later may (iii) gain entry into currents that transport them into Atlantic waters.
Title: | Magnetic orientation of loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings: migratory strategies in the Gulf of Mexico. |
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Name(s): |
Merrill, Maria W. Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Department of Biological Sciences |
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Type of Resource: | text | |
Genre: | Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation | |
Date Issued: | 2010 | |
Publisher: | Florida Atlantic University | |
Physical Form: | electronic | |
Extent: | ix, 41 p. : ill. (some col.) | |
Language(s): | English | |
Summary: | Loggerhead sea turtles nest on either the Atlantic or Gulf coast of Florida. The hatchlings from these nests migrate offshore in opposite directions. The purpose of my study was to determine if Gulf coast hatchlings use magnetic maps, as Atlantic coast hatchlings do, both to locate areas favorable for survival in the Gulf of Mexico and to orient appropriately within surface currents that could transport them into the Atlantic Ocean. To find out, I presented Gulf coast hatchlings with magnetic fields corresponding to different locations inside the Gulf, and within currents leading into (Florida Straits) and within (Gulf Stream) the western portion of the Atlantic Ocean. I conclude that Gulf coast hatchlings (i) use a high resolution magnetic map for navigation within the Gulf of Mexico, (ii) initially remain within the eastern Gulf, but later may (iii) gain entry into currents that transport them into Atlantic waters. | |
Identifier: | 631723328 (oclc), 2138106 (digitool), FADT2138106 (IID), fau:3416 (fedora) | |
Note(s): |
by Maria W. Merrill. Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. Includes bibliography. Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web. |
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Subject(s): |
Animal orientation Magnetic fields Sea turtles -- Migration -- Mexico, Gulf of Loggerhead turtle -- Migration -- Mexico, Gulf of |
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Persistent Link to This Record: | http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2138106 | |
Use and Reproduction: | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ | |
Host Institution: | FAU |