Reproductive strategies in loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta: polyandry and polygyny in a Southwest Atlantic rookery
Sea turtles are highly migratory and predominantly inhabit oceanic environments, which poses significant challenges to the study of their life cycles. Research has traditionally focused on nesting females, utilizing nest counts and mark-recapture methods, while male behavior remains understudied. To...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
PeerJ Inc.
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | PeerJ |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/18714.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1841551879774928896 |
|---|---|
| author | Laís Amorim Lara Chieza Jake A. Lasala Sarah de Souza Alves Teodoro Wesley D. Colombo Ana Carolina Barcelos Paula Rodrigues Lopes Guimarães João Luiz Guedes da Fonseca Ana Claudia Jorge Marcondes Alexsandro Santos Sarah Vargas |
| author_facet | Laís Amorim Lara Chieza Jake A. Lasala Sarah de Souza Alves Teodoro Wesley D. Colombo Ana Carolina Barcelos Paula Rodrigues Lopes Guimarães João Luiz Guedes da Fonseca Ana Claudia Jorge Marcondes Alexsandro Santos Sarah Vargas |
| author_sort | Laís Amorim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sea turtles are highly migratory and predominantly inhabit oceanic environments, which poses significant challenges to the study of their life cycles. Research has traditionally focused on nesting females, utilizing nest counts and mark-recapture methods, while male behavior remains understudied. To address this gap, previous studies have analyzed the genotypes of females and hatchlings to indirectly infer male genotypes and evaluate the extent of multiple paternity within populations. Our research aimed to investigate the presence of multiple paternity in loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nests for the first time in Brazil. We analyzed 534 hatchlings from 43 nests associated with 42 females during the 2017/18 to 2019/20 nesting seasons, using four highly polymorphic, species-specific microsatellite markers (nDNA). Parentage tests were conducted to reconstruct paternal genotypes and determine the rates of multiple paternity within clutches. Our results revealed that 72.09% of clutches were sired by multiple males, with contributions ranging from one to six males per clutch. Additionally, seven out of 88 males (7.95%) were found to have sired clutches from multiple females, with some males contributing to more than one clutch within and across breeding seasons. The breeding sex ratio (BSR) was calculated to be 2.09 males per female. While multiple paternity is a common phenomenon among sea turtles, this study is the first to document polyandry in loggerheads in Brazil and the first to provide evidence of polygyny in this species globally. This research establishes a crucial database for future studies in Brazil, with a focus on the BSR of the Southwest Atlantic subpopulation, offering essential insights for developing effective management strategies for this vulnerable population. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1df452dfeb99488c856fb80221e5f07b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj-art-1df452dfeb99488c856fb80221e5f07b2025-01-09T15:05:13ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592025-01-0113e1871410.7717/peerj.18714Reproductive strategies in loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta: polyandry and polygyny in a Southwest Atlantic rookeryLaís Amorim0Lara Chieza1Jake A. Lasala2Sarah de Souza Alves Teodoro3Wesley D. Colombo4Ana Carolina Barcelos5Paula Rodrigues Lopes Guimarães6João Luiz Guedes da Fonseca7Ana Claudia Jorge Marcondes8Alexsandro Santos9Sarah Vargas10Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Laboratório de Genética e Evolução Molecular, Vitória, Espírito Santo, BrazilDepartamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Laboratório de Genética e Evolução Molecular, Vitória, Espírito Santo, BrazilSea Turtle Conservation Research Program, Sarasota, Florida, United StatesDepartamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Laboratório de Genética e Evolução Molecular, Vitória, Espírito Santo, BrazilDepartamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Laboratório de Genética e Evolução Molecular, Vitória, Espírito Santo, BrazilDepartamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Laboratório de Genética e Evolução Molecular, Vitória, Espírito Santo, BrazilDepartamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Laboratório de Genética e Evolução Molecular, Vitória, Espírito Santo, BrazilDepartamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Laboratório de Genética e Evolução Molecular, Vitória, Espírito Santo, BrazilFundação Projeto Tamar, Vitória, Espírito Santo, BrazilFundação Projeto Tamar, Vitória, Espírito Santo, BrazilDepartamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Laboratório de Genética e Evolução Molecular, Vitória, Espírito Santo, BrazilSea turtles are highly migratory and predominantly inhabit oceanic environments, which poses significant challenges to the study of their life cycles. Research has traditionally focused on nesting females, utilizing nest counts and mark-recapture methods, while male behavior remains understudied. To address this gap, previous studies have analyzed the genotypes of females and hatchlings to indirectly infer male genotypes and evaluate the extent of multiple paternity within populations. Our research aimed to investigate the presence of multiple paternity in loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nests for the first time in Brazil. We analyzed 534 hatchlings from 43 nests associated with 42 females during the 2017/18 to 2019/20 nesting seasons, using four highly polymorphic, species-specific microsatellite markers (nDNA). Parentage tests were conducted to reconstruct paternal genotypes and determine the rates of multiple paternity within clutches. Our results revealed that 72.09% of clutches were sired by multiple males, with contributions ranging from one to six males per clutch. Additionally, seven out of 88 males (7.95%) were found to have sired clutches from multiple females, with some males contributing to more than one clutch within and across breeding seasons. The breeding sex ratio (BSR) was calculated to be 2.09 males per female. While multiple paternity is a common phenomenon among sea turtles, this study is the first to document polyandry in loggerheads in Brazil and the first to provide evidence of polygyny in this species globally. This research establishes a crucial database for future studies in Brazil, with a focus on the BSR of the Southwest Atlantic subpopulation, offering essential insights for developing effective management strategies for this vulnerable population.https://peerj.com/articles/18714.pdfBrazilBreeding sex ratio (BSR)Conservation biologyMicrosatellite markersMultiple paternityPopulation genetics |
| spellingShingle | Laís Amorim Lara Chieza Jake A. Lasala Sarah de Souza Alves Teodoro Wesley D. Colombo Ana Carolina Barcelos Paula Rodrigues Lopes Guimarães João Luiz Guedes da Fonseca Ana Claudia Jorge Marcondes Alexsandro Santos Sarah Vargas Reproductive strategies in loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta: polyandry and polygyny in a Southwest Atlantic rookery PeerJ Brazil Breeding sex ratio (BSR) Conservation biology Microsatellite markers Multiple paternity Population genetics |
| title | Reproductive strategies in loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta: polyandry and polygyny in a Southwest Atlantic rookery |
| title_full | Reproductive strategies in loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta: polyandry and polygyny in a Southwest Atlantic rookery |
| title_fullStr | Reproductive strategies in loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta: polyandry and polygyny in a Southwest Atlantic rookery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reproductive strategies in loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta: polyandry and polygyny in a Southwest Atlantic rookery |
| title_short | Reproductive strategies in loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta: polyandry and polygyny in a Southwest Atlantic rookery |
| title_sort | reproductive strategies in loggerhead sea turtle caretta caretta polyandry and polygyny in a southwest atlantic rookery |
| topic | Brazil Breeding sex ratio (BSR) Conservation biology Microsatellite markers Multiple paternity Population genetics |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/18714.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laisamorim reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery AT larachieza reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery AT jakealasala reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery AT sarahdesouzaalvesteodoro reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery AT wesleydcolombo reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery AT anacarolinabarcelos reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery AT paularodrigueslopesguimaraes reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery AT joaoluizguedesdafonseca reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery AT anaclaudiajorgemarcondes reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery AT alexsandrosantos reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery AT sarahvargas reproductivestrategiesinloggerheadseaturtlecarettacarettapolyandryandpolygynyinasouthwestatlanticrookery |