Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: ALANA THAIS TEIXEIRA DA SILVA LEITAO

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
DISCENTE: ALANA THAIS TEIXEIRA DA SILVA LEITAO
DATA : 28/12/2022
LOCAL: VIDEOCONFERÊNCIA
TÍTULO:

Use of shipwrecks by sea turtles in Northeast Brazil

PALAVRAS-CHAVES:

Behavioural repertoire. Activity budget. Food resource. Testudines. Interspecific interactions.

PÁGINAS: 20
RESUMO:

Shipwrecks are one of the most common types of artificial reefs. They are home to several sea creatures, including sea turtles. In the present study, we aimed to understand the relationship between sea turtles and shipwrecks by investigating species occurrence, behaviours and food availability in those artificial reefs. Our study focused on the shipwrecks of Pernambuco, North-eastern Brazil. Pernambuco has the Brazilian capital of shipwrecks, with 111 wrecks reported in the area. To obtain data on the presence of turtles, we inspected 54,145 photos resulting from 867 recreational dives performed in 19 shipwrecks in the state. We also considered data from the literature to map the distribution of sea turtles in shipwrecks in Pernambuco. We then selected four out of the 19 wrecks for systematic behavioural observation of the sea turtles through passive video recordings and for identification of potential food resources in the shipwreck walls. A total of 97h and 36min of recordings were inspected for the behavioural analysis. We identified three species (i.e., Chelonia mydas, Eretmochelys imbricata and Caretta caretta) using 11 of the 19 shipwrecks used by diving agencies. Most of the records were from young individuals and the species Chelonia mydas. We observed nine behaviours performed by sea turtles. "Resting" was the predominant behaviour, followed by "locomoting". We recorded indifferent and tolerant interactions between sea turtles and bony fishes, sharks, rays, and lobsters. Indifferent interactions included no physical contact, whereas tolerant interactions included physical contact. The wrecks were predominantly encrusted with ascidia, octocoral, sponge and algae on the inner and external walls. These organisms are part of the diet of sea turtles. Here we highlight the relevant ecological hole of the shipwrecks for sea turtles since it may serve as shelter (especially for the youngsters of Chelonia mydas), potentially protecting them against predators and strong currents. The wrecks may also serve as potential restaurants and cleaning stations for sea turtles. We suggest appropriate regulation may be established for recreational dive tourism in shipwrecks in Brazil so that sea turtles are not disturbed in this ecologically important artificial reef.

MEMBROS DA BANCA:
Presidente - 2088859 - BRUNA MARTINS BEZERRA
Externa à Instituição - EDNILZA MARANHAO DOS SANTOS
Interno - 2320121 - JOAO LUCAS LEAO FEITOSA
Interna - ***.095.820-** - ROSANGELA PAULA TEIXEIRA LESSA - UFRPE