title: Terrestrial basking sea turtles are responding to spatio-temporal sea surface temperature patterns.
abstract: Naturalists as early as Darwin observed terrestrial basking in green turtles (Chelonia mydas), but the distribution and environmental influences of this behaviour are poorly understood. Here, we examined 6 years of daily basking surveys in Hawaii and compared them with the phenology of local sea surface temperatures (SST). Data and models indicated basking peaks when SST is coolest, and we found this timeline consistent with bone stress markings. Next, we assessed the decadal SST profiles for the 11 global green turtle populations. Basking generally occurs when winter SST falls below 23°C. From 1990 to 2014, the SST for these populations warmed an average 0.04°C yr(-1) (range 0.01-0.09°C yr(-1)); roughly three times the observed global average over this period. Owing to projected future warming at basking sites, we estimated terrestrial basking in green turtles may cease globally by 2100. To predict and manage for future climate change, we encourage a more detailed understanding for how climate influences organismal biology.
authors.affiliation: NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI 96818, USA Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA kyle.vanhoutan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kyle S
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5725-1773
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Van Houtan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Applications and Technology, University of Ioannina, 451 10 Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Halley
authors.affiliation: NOAA Fisheries, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI 96818, USA.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Marks
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000502:physiology; D057231:Climate Change; D004777:Environment; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006254:Hawaii; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D012621:Seasons; D013696:Temperature; D014426:Turtles / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Fourier series; climate forcing; environmental variability; phenology