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dc.contributor.authorGriffin, LP
dc.contributor.authorBrownscombe, JW
dc.contributor.authorGagné, TO
dc.contributor.authorWilson, Alexander
dc.contributor.authorCooke, SJ
dc.contributor.authorDanylchuk, AJ
dc.date.accessioned2018-05-09T09:01:16Z
dc.date.issued2017-03
dc.identifier.issn0029-8549
dc.identifier.issn1432-1939
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/11424
dc.description.abstract

Despite many positive benefits of ecotourism, increased human encounters with wildlife may have detrimental effects on wild animals. As charismatic megafauna, nesting and foraging sea turtles are increasingly the focus of ecotourism activities. The purpose of our study was to quantify the behavioral responses of immature green turtles (Chelonia mydas) to disturbance by snorkelers, and to investigate whether turtles have individual-level responses to snorkeler disturbance. Using a standardized disturbance stimulus in the field, we recorded turtle behaviors pre- and post-disturbance by snorkelers. Ninety percent of turtles disturbed by snorkeler (n = 192) initiated their flights at distances of ≤3 m. Using principal component analysis, we identified two distinct turtle personality types, 'bold' and 'timid', based upon 145 encounters of 19 individually identified turtles and five disturbance response variables. There was significant intra-individual repeatability in behavioral responses to disturbance, but bolder turtles had more behavioral plasticity and less consistent responses than more timid individuals. Bolder individuals with reduced evasion responses might be at a higher risk of shark predation, while more timid turtles might have greater energetic consequences due to non-lethal predator effects and repeated snorkeler disturbance. Over the longer term, a turtle population with a mix of bold and timid individuals may promote more resilient populations. We recommend that snorkelers maintain >3 m distance from immature green turtles when snorkeling, and that ecotourism activities be temporally and spatially stratified. Further, turtle watching guidelines need to be communicated to both tour operators and independent snorkelers to reduce the disturbance of turtles.

dc.format.extent909-917
dc.format.mediumPrint-Electronic
dc.languageen
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC
dc.subjectEcotourism
dc.subjectFlight initiation distance
dc.subjectPrincipal component analysis
dc.subjectPersonality
dc.subjectRepeatability
dc.titleIndividual-level behavioral responses of immature green turtles to snorkeler disturbance
dc.typejournal-article
dc.typeJournal Article
dc.typeResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
plymouth.author-urlhttps://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000411577400027&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=11bb513d99f797142bcfeffcc58ea008
plymouth.issue3
plymouth.volume183
plymouth.publication-statusPublished
plymouth.journalOecologia
dc.identifier.doi10.1007/s00442-016-3804-1
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Faculty of Science and Engineering
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Faculty of Science and Engineering/School of Biological and Marine Sciences
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/REF 2021 Researchers by UoA
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/REF 2021 Researchers by UoA/UoA07 Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Users by role
plymouth.organisational-group/Plymouth/Users by role/Academics
dc.publisher.placeGermany
dcterms.dateAccepted2016-12-19
dc.identifier.eissn1432-1939
dc.rights.embargoperiodNot known
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.1007/s00442-016-3804-1
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttp://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate2017-03
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Review


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