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Data from: Preserved collagen reveals species identity in archaeological marine turtle bones from Caribbean and Florida sites

Advancements in molecular science are continually improving our understanding of marine turtle biology and evolution. However, there are still considerable gaps in our understanding, such as past marine turtle distributions, which can benefit from advanced zooarchaeological analyses. Here we apply collagen fingerprinting to 130 archaeological marine turtle bone samples up to 2500 years old from the Caribbean and Florida's Gulf Coast for faunal identification, finding the vast majority of samples (88%) to contain preserved collagen despite deposition in the tropics. All samples can be identified to species-level with the exception of the Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and olive ridley (L. olivacea) turtles, which can be separated to genus level, having diverged from one another only ~5 million years ago. Additionally, we identify a single homologous peptide that allows the separation of archaeological green turtle samples, Chelonia spp., into two distinct groups, which potentially signifies a difference in genetic stock. The majority of the archaeological samples are identified as green turtle (Chelonia spp.; 63%), with hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata; 17%) and ridley turtles (Lepidochelys spp.; 3%) making up smaller proportions of the assemblage. There were no molecular identifications of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) in the assemblage despite 9% of the samples being morphologically identified as such, highlighting the difficulties in relying on morphological identifications alone in archaeological remains. Finally, we present the first marine turtle molecular phylogeny using collagen (I) amino acid sequences and find our analyses match recent phylogenies based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Our results highlight the advantage of using collagen fingerprinting to supplement morphological analyses of turtle bones and support the usefulness of this technique for assessing their past distributions across the Caribbean and Florida's Gulf Coast, especially in these tropical environments where DNA preservation may be poor.

opencc-zeroDec 2023View details →

Stranded marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds in Paraná and Santa Catarina from August 2018 to August 2023

To assess the potential impacts from oil and gas production in deep waters of Brazil's Santos Basin, the Brazilian environmental agency (IBAMA) required PETROBRAS, the main oil company in the basin, to implement the "Projeto de Monitoramento de Praias da Bacia de Santos" (Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Project - PMP-BS). This project has been operating along the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, since August 2015, collecting data from stranded seabirds, turtles, and marine mammals. This dataset includes records from August 2018 to August 2023, along the Paraná and Santa Catarina coastlines. During this period, 58151 animals of at least 93 species were recorded (883 unidentified animals). From this total, 88.6% were dead and 11.4% alive when first observed. This dataset complements previous ones from the same area, and is a high-intensity monitoring effort essential to understand temporal and geographical variation of stranded animals. This data will allow future works aimed at understanding the impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems and environmental changes over time.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2022View details →

Data and scripts for: Green turtles highlight connectivity across a regional marine protected area network in West Africa

Data derivates and analysis scripts (in R) used for the paper on analyzing green turtle MPA coverage and connectivity in West Africa.

Figure 3 in Observations of a rapid decline in invasive macroalgal cover linked to green turtle grazing in a Hawaiian marine reserve

Figure 3. Mean hourly temperatures (°C) (a.), total rainfall (mm h-1) (b.), wind (km h−1) (c.), and PAR (µmol photons m−2) (d.) in 2015 (red triangle), 2016 (blue square), and 2017 (black circle). Data was obtained from Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology Weather Station (http://www.pacioos.hawaii.edu/weather/obs-mokuoloe/).

Figure 1 in Observations of a rapid decline in invasive macroalgal cover linked to green turtle grazing in a Hawaiian marine reserve

Figure 1. Green turtle, Chelonia mydas, feeding on Gracilaria salicornia in the back lagoon of Moku o Lo'e, Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi in March 2017. Photo by KD Bahr.

Figure 2. Surveyed sites around Moku o in Observations of a rapid decline in invasive macroalgal cover linked to green turtle grazing in a Hawaiian marine reserve

Figure 2. Surveyed sites around Moku o Loʻe, Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi in April (left) and May (right) depicting proportion of substratum classified as coral (brown), rubble (grey), sand (yellow), or Gracilaria salicornia (green). Numbers within pie charts indicate number of turtles observed at each site during the survey. Red outlined pie charts denote areas with limited accessability (only during high tides) to Chelonia mydas.

Figure 5 in Observations of a rapid decline in invasive macroalgal cover linked to green turtle grazing in a Hawaiian marine reserve

Figure 5. Back lagoon of Moku o Loʻe, Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi adjacent to a fenced enclosure on 13 April 2017 (top) and same area 21 days later on 4 May 2017 (bottom). Photo by KD Bahr.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2006View details →

Fig. 2. A in Turtle riders: remoras on marine turtles in Southwest Atlantic

Fig. 2. A loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) with a juvenile sharksucker (Echeneis naucrates) attached to the plastron (red asterisk) (a). From a video-frame by G. Marcovaldi. A hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) with a juvenile sharksucker (Echeneis naucrates) attached to the carapace (red asterisk) (b). Photo by L. B. Francini.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2006View details →

Fig. 1. A in Turtle riders: remoras on marine turtles in Southwest Atlantic

Fig. 1. A leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) with an adult couple of the common remora (Remora remora), one of the fish moving over the carapace (left side) and the other attached to the plastron. A group of pilotfish (Naucrates ductor) travels with the turtle. Photo by G. Marcovaldi.

opencc-by-4.0Mar 2006View details →

Fig. 3. A in Turtle riders: remoras on marine turtles in Southwest Atlantic

Fig. 3. A sharksucker (Echeneis naucrates) free-swimming in the water column (a). Photo by G. Marcovaldi. A station-based juvenile sharksucker cleaning a jewfish (Epinephelus itajara) in a shipwreck (b). Photo by L. B. Francini.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2022View details →

Figure 2 in A gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western Europe

Figure 2. Shellandpelvicgirdleelementsof Leviathanochelysaenigmatica gen. etsp. nov. (a) Dorsalviewof MCD9884 with the elements disposed as they were discovered, remarking in white the preserved carapace portion (MCD9884a). (b) Visceral view of the carapacewith asuperimposed interpretation of the shell elements. (c) Dorsal view of the preserved pelvic girdle without the carapace, and (d) ventral view of the same element with the carapace. Asterisk marks indicate the location of the autapomorphic accessory pubic process. Details of the accessory pubic process in (e) dorsal and (f) ventral view. (g) Close up view of the posteromedial part of the pubes, in ventral (upper picture) and posterior view (lower picture), preserving part of the thyroid fossae separated by a thick bone structure (black arrow). (h) Ventral view of the left acetabulum, illustrating the limits between the pelvic bones. (i) Detail of the outer ornamented surfaceof the ilium. (j) Histological section of the costal 8 (MCD9884.1), showing acancellous bone zone between the highly vascularized internal and external cortices. Abbreviations: (ac) Acetabulum; (app) Accessory Pubic Process; (cb) cancellous bone; (co) costal plate; (eco) External Cortex; (ico) Internal Cortex; (il) Ilium; (ils) ilium insertion scar; (isc) Ischium; (il) Ilium; (ne) neural plate; (pb) Pubis; (pbb) pubic bridge; (tf) Thyroid fossa.

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2022View details →

Figure 1 in A gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western Europe

Figure 1. GeographicandgeologicalsituationofCalTorrades. TheCalTorradesfossillocalitylocation, respect: (a) the Iberian Peninsula; and (b) the Eastern Pyrenees. (c) Simplified geological map including the locality (white star). (d) Field capture of Cal Torrades outcrop, marking with the star the location of the fossil remains: (e) pelvis; and (f) ilium. (g) Locality stratigraphic column with the geological materials and fossil remains. Modified from Costantinoand Angelini26,Vidal27 and free access digital mapsof the Institut de Cartografia i Geologia de Catalunya (ICGC; http://www.icc.cat/vissir3/).

opencc-by-4.0Nov 2022View details →

Figure 3 in A gigantic bizarre marine turtle (Testudines: Chelonioidea) from the Middle Campanian (Late Cretaceous) of South-western Europe

Figure 3. Phylogeneticrelationshipof Leviathanochelysaenigmatica gen. etsp. nov. Simplifiedphylogenetic hypothesis of the relationship of Leviathanochelysaenigmatica within Pan-Chelonioidea based of 20 MPT with 1647 steps according to the Strict Consensus topology. Number under main branching nodes correlate with Bremer support values. Taxa are illustrated according to their time-range occurrence, but not to the timedivergence of the nodes which are tentatively placed according to fossil record evidences.

publicDec 2023View details →

Stranded marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds in Paraná and Santa Catarina from August 2018 to August 2023

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publicDec 2019View details →

Data from: Preserved collagen reveals species identity in archaeological marine turtle bones from Caribbean and Florida sites

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opencc-zeroApr 2020View details →

Data from: Tracing the patterns of non-marine turtle richness from Triassic–Palaeogene: from origin through global spread

Turtles are key components of modern vertebrate faunas and it is predicted that their diversity and distributions will be affected by anthropogenic climate change. Despite this, few studies have attempted to provide baseline data on turtle taxonomic richness through time or assess their past responses to global environmental change. We used the extensive Triassic–Palaeogene (252–23 Ma) fossil record of terrestrial and freshwater turtles to investigate diversity patterns, finding substantial variation in richness through time and between continents. Subsampled turtle richness was low globally from their Triassic origin until the Late Jurassic. There is strong evidence for high richness in the earliest Cretaceous of Europe. Richness was especially high following the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum and declined in all continents by the end-Cretaceous. At the K-Pg boundary, South American richness levels changed little while North American richness increased. Subsampled North American turtle richness was very high during the earliest Palaeogene (Danian) while South American richness was low; informative data on earliest Palaeogene turtle richness are lacking elsewhere. However, the Selandian–Thanetian interval, approximately 5 million years after the K-Pg mass extinction, shows low turtle richness in Asia, Europe and South America. This suggests the occurrence of exceptional turtle richness in the post-extinction Paleocene fauna of North America is not globally representative. Richness decreased over the Eocene–Oligocene boundary in North America but increased to its greatest known level for Europe, implying very different responses to dramatic Eocene–Oligocene climatic shifts. Time series regressions suggest number of formations sampled and palaeotemperature are the primary influencers of face-value richness counts, but additional factors not tested here may also be involved.

Strandings of marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds along the northern São Paulo coast, Brazil, from 2015 to 2018.

To assess the potential impacts on seabirds, turtles and marine mammals from oil and gas production from the oceanic Pre-Salt province at Brazil's Santos Basin, the Brazilian environmental agency (IBAMA) required PETROBRAS, the main oil company in the basin, to implement the "Programa de Monitoramento de Praias da Bacia de Santos" (Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Program - PMP-BS). Since 2015 PMP-BS has been operating along the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, to collect biological data from live and dead stranded animals. This dataset comprises the first three years of monitoring (September 2015 to August 2018) along the northern São Paulo State coastline, from 23°22'17.366" S 44°47'0.479" W to 23°45'24.046" S 45°50'23.335" W. During this period, 5450 animals of 47 species were recorded, 82.11% of which were dead and 17.89% alive when first observed. This dataset represents the first high-intensity monitoring effort in the area and is essential to establish baselines for future work that seek to better understand the impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems.

Strandings of marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds along central Santa Catarina coast, Brazil, from 2015 to 2018.

To assess the potential impacts on seabirds, turtles and marine mammals from oil and gas production from the oceanic Pre-Salt province at Brazil's Santos Basin, the Brazilian environmental agency (IBAMA) required PETROBRAS, the main oil company in the basin, to implement the "Programa de Monitoramento de Praias da Bacia de Santos" (Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Program - PMP-BS). Since 2015 PMP-BS has been operating along the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, to collect biological data from live and dead stranded animals. This dataset comprises the first three years of monitoring (September 2015 to August 2018) along Santa Catarina state's central coast, from 27°23'7.357" S 48°26'2.519" W to 27°50'24.231" S 48°33'48.706" W. During this period, 5497 animals of 46 species were recorded, 86.90% of which were dead and 13.10% alive when first observed This dataset represents the first high-intensity monitoring effort in the area and is essential to establish baselines for future work that seek to better understand the impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems.

Strandings of marine mammals, sea turtles and seabirds along the central-south coast of São Paulo, Brazil, from 2015 to 2018.

To assess the potential impacts on seabirds, turtles and marine mammals from oil and gas production from the oceanic Pre-Salt province at Brazil's Santos Basin, the Brazilian environmental agency (IBAMA) required PETROBRAS, the main oil company in the basin, to implement the "Programa de Monitoramento de Praias da Bacia de Santos" (Santos Basin Beach Monitoring Program - PMP-BS). Since 2015 PMP-BS has been operating along the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, to collect biological data from live and dead stranded animals. This dataset comprises the first three years of monitoring (September 2015 to August 2018) along the central-south São Paulo state coastline, from 24°1'1.248" S 46°23'52.026" W to 24°26'49.147" S 47°4'49.505" W. During this period, 3790 animals of 47 species were recorded, 94.88% of which were dead and 5.12% alive when first observed. This dataset represents the first high-intensity monitoring effort in the area and is essential to establish baselines for future work that seek to better understand the impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems.