Journal Article
Habitat fidelity in hawksbill sea turtles
Andrew S. Maurer; Julia A. Horrocks; Claudio Bellini; Karen L. Eckert; Alexandra L. Fireman; Mariana M. P. B. Fuentes; Barry Krueger; Kathryn E. Levasseur; Maria A. Marcovaldi; Renata M. A. Ramos; Seth P. Stapleton; Hannah B. Vander Zanden; Lotus Vermeer; Daniel H. G. Viera; Erik A. P. dos Santos; Armando J. B. Santos
Ecology · Vol. 106, Issue 10 · 2025
Abstract
Climate change is altering habitat suitability and driving shifts in species distributions. To understand potential responses by mobile animals, it is essential to assess levels of plasticity in habitat use, ranging from transience to long‐term fidelity. Here, we evaluate the fidelity of hawksbill sea turtles ( Eretmochelys imbricata ) to habitats used while foraging (our primary focus), migrating, and nesting. After satellite tracking 17 adult females from three Western Atlantic nesting areas, we then re‐tracked them in a subsequent year. Of 15 turtles with sufficient data to assess interannual foraging area fidelity, 14 returned to the same home range, exhibiting overlap between successive 50% utilization distributions (UDs); the 15th individual shifted