Guertin, Jeffrey

There are four distinct subpopulations of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in Florida as determined behaviorally by geographic fidelity, and genetically by mitochondrial haplotypes. The South Florida subpopulation consists of females nesting on the southeastern and southwestern coasts of Florida and their offspring. Previous research shows that west coast hatchlings exhibit higher levels of nocturnal swimming during the postfrenzy period than east coast hatchlings. This study attempted to determine how these differences in migratory behavior develop. A reciprocal translocation experiment was conducted to distinguish between environmental and genetic factors. No consistent differences in hatchling swimming behavior were seen based on geography. Movement of nests resulted in lower levels of nocturnal swimming behavior in hatchlings compared to hatchlings that emerged from natural nests, suggesting that the relocation of nests may not provide a natural incubation environment for developing hatchlings.