Blood analytes of oceanic-juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from Azorean waters: reference intervals, size-relevant correlations and comparisons to neritic loggerheads from western Atlantic coastal waters

Nicole I Stacy; Karen A Bjorndal; Justin R Perrault; Helen R Martins; Alan B Bolten

doi:10.1093/conphys/coy006

Blood analytes of oceanic-juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from Azorean waters: reference intervals, size-relevant correlations and comparisons to neritic loggerheads from western Atlantic coastal waters

Conserv Physiol. 2018 Feb 16;6(1):coy006. doi: 10.1093/conphys/coy006. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Nicole I Stacy¹, Karen A Bjorndal², Justin R Perrault³, Helen R Martins⁴, Alan B Bolten²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2015 SW 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
² Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research and Department of Biology, University of Florida, PO Box 118525, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
³ Loggerhead Marinelife Center, 14200 U.S. Hwy 1, Juno Beach, FL 33408, USA.
⁴ University of the Azores, Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, PT-9901-862 Horta, Azores, Portugal.

Abstract

Blood analyte reference intervals are scarce for immature life stages of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). The objectives of this study were to (1) document reference intervals of packed cell volume (PCV) and 20 plasma chemistry analytes from wild oceanic-juvenile stage loggerhead turtles from Azorean waters, (2) investigate correlations with body size (minimum straight carapace length: SCL_min) and (3) compare plasma chemistry data to those from older, larger neritic juveniles (<80 cm SCL_min) and adult loggerheads (≥80 cm SCL_min) that have recruited to the West Atlantic in waters around Cape Canaveral, Florida. Twenty-eight Azorean loggerhead turtles with SCL_min of 17.6-60.0 cm (mean 34.9 ± 12.1 cm) were captured, sampled and immediately released. Reference intervals are reported. There were several biologically relevant correlations of blood analytes with SCL_min: positive correlations of PCV, proteins and triglycerides with SCL_min indicated somatic growth, increasing diving activity and/or diet; negative correlations of tissue enzymes with SCL_min suggested faster growth at smaller turtle size, while negative correlations of electrolytes with SCL_min indicated differences in diet, environmental conditions and/or osmoregulation unique to the geographic location. Comparisons of loggerhead turtles from the Azores (i.e. oceanic) and Cape Canaveral (i.e. neritic) identified significant differences regarding diet, somatic growth, and/or environment: in Azorean turtles, albumin, triglycerides and bilirubin increased with SCL_min, while alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase and sodium decreased. In larger neritic Cape Canaveral turtles, aspartate aminotransferase increased with SCL_min, while the albumin:globulin ratio, phosphorus and cholesterol decreased. These differences suggest unique physiological disparities between life stage development and migration, reflecting biological and habitat differences between the two populations. This information presents biologically important data that is applicable to stranded individual turtles and to the population level, a tool for the development of conservation strategies, and a baseline for future temporal and spatial investigations of the Azorean loggerhead sea turtle population.

Keywords: Juvenile; marine turtle; oceanic-juvenile stage; packed cell volume; plasma chemistry; size relationship.