Phenology of nesting marine turtles in the Cayman Islands.

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 nesti

SUBMITTER: Colman LP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12782257 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature