Stable C and N isotope concentration in several tissues of the loggerhead sea turtle <i>Caretta caretta</i> from the western Mediterranean and dietary implications

Mónica Revelles; Luis Cardona; Alex Aguilar; Assumpció Borrell; Gloria Fernández; Manuel San Félix

doi:10.3989/scimar.2007.71n187

Autores/as

Mónica Revelles Dept. of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona
Luis Cardona Dept. of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona
Alex Aguilar Dept. of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona
Assumpció Borrell Dept. of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona
Gloria Fernández Fundación AsproNatura, Mallorca
Manuel San Félix Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.2007.71n187

Palabras clave:

tejidos, isótopo estable, tortuga marina, nivel trófico, ecología trófica, carbono, nitrógeno

Resumen

La concentración isotópica de escudos del caparazón, piel, músculo y sangre de tortuga boba (Caretta caretta) fueron analizados para investigar el patrón de variación entre tejidos y para evaluar la posición de esta especie en las redes tróficas de la cuenca Argelina. La piel presentaba valores más altos de δ¹³C que el músculo o los escudos del caparazón y éstos presentaban valores más altos que la sangre. En cambio, el músculo presentaba valores más altos de δ¹⁵N que la piel, ésta valores más altos que la sangre y ésta valores más altos que los escudos del caparazón. Las tortugas muertas y las vivas del mismo hábitat no diferían en la concentración de isótopos estables. Sin embargo, alguno de los tejidos de las tortugas capturadas mediante palangre de superficie en el medio oceánico presentaban valores más altos de δ¹³C que los de las tortugas capturadas a mano o mediante trasmallo en la plataforma continental, aunque no diferían en el δ¹⁵N. La comparación de la concentración de isótopos estables de tortuga con la de otras especies de varias áreas de la cuenca Argelina reveló que consumían presas planctónicas y que el nivel trófico de las tortugas era superior que el de los cnidarios carnívoros pero inferior que el de peces y crustáceos zooplanctófagos

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Citas

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