title: Phenology of marine turtle nesting revealed by statistical model of the nesting season.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Marine turtles deposit their eggs on tropical or subtropical beaches during discrete nesting seasons that span several months. The number and distribution of nests laid during a nesting season provide vital information on various aspects of marine turtle ecology and conservation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the case of leatherback sea turtles nesting in French Guiana, we developed a mathematical model to explore the phenology of their nesting season, derived from an incomplete nest count dataset. We detected 3 primary components in the nest distribution of leatherbacks: an overall shape that corresponds to the arrival and departure of leatherback females in the Guianas region, a sinusoidal pattern with a period of approximately 10 days that is related to physiological constraints of nesting female leatherbacks, and a sinusoidal pattern with a period of approximately 15 days that likely reflects the influence of spring high tides on nesting female turtles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The model proposed here offers a variety of uses for both marine turtles and also other taxa when individuals are observed in a particular location for only part of the year.
authors.affiliation: Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR 8079, Université Paris-Sud, ENGREF et CNRS, Bât, 362, 91405 Orsay cedex, France. marc.girondot@ese.u-psud.fr
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Girondot
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rivalan
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wongsopawiro
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Briane
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hulin
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caut
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guirlet
authors.forename: Matthew H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Godfrey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D005260:Female; D015233:Models, Statistical; D016081:Moon; D010058:Oviposition; D012621:Seasons; D014426:Turtles; D014872:Water Movements