Sympatry or syntopy? Investigating drivers of distribution and co-occurrence for two imperiled sea turtle species in Gulf of Mexico neritic waters.

ABSTRACT: Animals co-occurring in a region (sympatry) may use the same habitat (syntopy) within that region. A central aim in ecology is determining what factors drive species distributions (i.e., abiotic conditions, dispersal limitations, and/or biotic interactions). Assessing the degree of biotic interactions can be difficult for species with wide ranges at sea. This study investigated the spatial ecology of two sea turtle species that forage on benthic invertebrates in neritic GoM waters: Kemp's ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii) and loggerheads (Caretta caretta). We used satellite tracking and modeled behavioral modes, then calculated individual home ranges, compared foraging areas, and determined extent of co-occurrence. Using six environmental variables and principal component analysi

SUBMITTER: Hart KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6308884 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature