Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.20302/NC.2022.31.16
Apparent increasing importance of Adriatic Sea as a developmental habitat for Mediterranean green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas)
Matic Jančič
; Department of Biodiversity, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Slovenia & Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation, Croatia
Pasquale Salvemini
; Associazione Panda Molfetta, Italy
Draško Holcer
; Department of Biodiversity, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Slovenia & Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation, Croatia & Department of Zoology, Croatian Natural History Museum, Croatia
Vilma Piroli
; Department of Biology and Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Shkodra "Luigj Gurakuqi", Albania
Idriz Haxhiu
; Herpetofauna Albanian Society, Albania
Bojan Lazar
; Department of Biodiversity, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, Slovenia & Marine Science Program, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Croatia
Abstract
In the Mediterranean, the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) has exhibited increase in the number of nests over the past two decades. While the Eastern Mediterranean is recognized as a high use area, scarce observations of green turtles in Adriatic Sea suggested only low-level utilization of this area. This study presents new findings of green sea turtles in the Adriatic Sea and analyses the importance of the region for the species. In combination with published records, we present 75 findings of the species in the Adriatic including eight new records. The number of records is generally low but shows an intriguing ten-fold increase since 2000. This may be a result of three confounding factors: (i) positive population trend at main nesting sites in Mediterranean; (ii) increased institutional capacity for sea turtle research and conservation in the past two decades, and (iii) raising sea temperatures. Documented increases in the sea surface temperatures may have established suitable and recurring thermal corridors along Ionian-Adriatic developmental pathway and provided environmental cues for immigration of juvenile green turtles into the Adriatic. As the abundance of the species will likely increase in the future, research and conservation efforts will be needed to avoid the Adriatic Sea becoming a sink habitat for the Mediterranean green turtle population.
Keywords
marine turtles; distribution; Mediterranean Sea; climate change; sea warming; thermal corridors
Hrčak ID:
288180
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2022.
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