Biochemical blood parameters and hormone levels of foraging, nesting, and injured loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in Turkey

Biochemical blood parameters and hormone levels of foraging, nesting, and injured loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in Turkey

The biochemical blood parameters of 22 (7 foraging, 7 nesting, and 8 injured) loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) fromthe southwest coast of Turkey were investigated. A total of 27 blood variables were analyzed in three groups (plasma enzymes, plasmametabolites, and plasma ions), and 4 steroid hormones: testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), progesterone (Pro), and corticosterone (B).Triglyceride, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein, magnesium, and phosphorus were higher in nestingfemales; urea was high in foraging individuals; and sodium, potassium, and chloride were lower while estradiol levels were higherin injured individuals. In addition, plasma steroid hormone levels T, Pro, and B were assessed in healthy and stranded individuals.The results of the present study provide valuable blood parameters for the medical care of the species in rescue centers and help us tounderstand the physiological response of loggerhead sea turtles to different conditions.

___

  • Aguirre AA, Balazs GH (2000). Blood biochemistry values of green turtles, Chelonia mydas, with and without fibropapillomatosis. Comp Hematol Int 10: 132-137.
  • Al-Habsi AA, AlKindi AYA, Mahmoud IY, Owens DW, Khan T, Al-Abri A (2006). Plasma hormone levels in the green turtles Chelonia mydas during peak period of nesting at Ras Al-HaddOman. J Endocrinol 191: 9-14.
  • Basile F, Di Santi A, Ferretti L, Bentivegna F, Pica A (2012). Hematology of the Mediterranean population of sea turtle (Caretta caretta): comparison of blood values in wild and captive, juvenile and adult animals. Comp Clin Path 21: 1401- 1406.
  • Başkale, E, Sözbilen D, Katılmış Y, Azmaz M, Kaska Y (2018). An evaluation of sea turtle strandings in the Fethiye-Göcek Specially Protected Area: an important foraging ground with an increasing mortality rate. Ocean Coast Manag 154: 26-33.
  • Bentivegna F (2002). Intra-Mediterranean migrations of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) monitored by satellite telemetry. Marine Biology 141: 795-800.
  • Blanvillain G, Pease AP, Segars AL, Rostal DC, Richards AJ, Owens DW (2008). Comparing methods for the assessment of reproductive activity in adult male loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Endang Spec Res 6: 75-85.
  • Bolten AB (1999). Techniques for Measuring Sea Turtles. In: Eckert KL, Bjorndal KA, Abreu-Grobois FA, Donnelly M, editors. Research and Management Techniques for the Conservation of Sea Turtles, IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group Publication No.4.
  • Bolten AB, Jacobson ER, Bjorndal KA (1992). Effects of anticoagulant and autoanalyzer on blood biochemical values of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta). Am J Vet Res 53: 2224-2227.
  • Broderick AC, Glen F, Godley BJ, Hays GC (2002). Estimating the number of green and loggerhead turtles nesting annually in the Mediterranean. Oryx 36: 227-235.
  • Camacho M, Quintana MdP, Calabuig P, Luzardo OP, Boada LD, Zumbado M, Oros, J (2015). Acid-base and plasma biochemical changes using crystalloid fluids in stranded juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). PLoS ONE 10: e0132217.
  • Campbell TW (1995). Avian Hematology and Cytology, 2nd ed. Ames, IA, USA: Iowa State University Press, pp. 7-11.
  • Canbolat AF (2004). A review of sea turtle nesting activity along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Biol Conserv 116: 81-91.
  • Casal AB, Camacho M, Lopez-Jurado LF, Juste C, Oros H (2009). Comparative study of hematologic and plasma biochemical variables in Eastern Atlantic juvenile and adult nesting loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Vet Clin Pathol 38: 213-218.
  • Casale P, Gerosa G, Argano A, Barbaro S, Fontana G (1998). Testosterone titers of immature loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) incidentally caught in the Central Mediterranean: a preliminary sex ratio study. Chelonian Conserv Biol 3: 90-93.
  • Casale P, Laurent L, Gerosa G, Argano R (2002). Molecular evidence of male-biased dispersal in loggerhead turtle juveniles. J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 267: 139-145.
  • Casale P, Margaritoulis D (2010). Sea turtles in the Mediterranean: distribution, threats and conservation priorities. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.
  • Deem SL, Dierenfeld ES, Sounguet GP, Alleman AR, Cray C, Poppenga RH, Norton TM, Karesh WB (2006). Blood values in free-ranging nesting leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) on the coast of the Republic of Gabon. J Zoo Wildl Med 37: 464-471.
  • Deem SL, Norton TM, Mitchell MA, Segars AL, Alleman AR, Cray C, Poppenga RH, Dodd M, Karesh WB (2009) Comparison of blood values in foraging, nesting, and stranded loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) along the coast of Georgia, USA. J Wildl Dis 45: 41-56.
  • Delgado C, Valente A, Quaresma I, Costa M, Dellinger T (2011). Blood biochemistry reference values for wild juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from Madeira Archipelago. J Wildl Dis 47: 523-529.
  • Fazio E, Liotta A, Medica P Bruschetta G, Ferlazzo A (2012b). Serum and plasma biochemical values of health loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Comp Clin Pathol 21: 905.
  • Fazio E, Liotta A, Medica P, Giacoppo E, Ferlazzo A (2012a). Effects of different health status on blood haematochemical values of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Comp Clin Pathol 21: 105.
  • Flint M, Morton JM, Limpus CJ, Patterson-Kane JC, Mills PC (2010). Reference intervals for plasma biochemical and hematologic measures in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from Moreton Bay, Australia. J Wildl Dis 46: 731-741.
  • Flint M, Morton JM, Limpus CJ, Patterson-Kane JC, Murray PJ, Mills PC (2009). Development and application of biochemical and haematological reference intervals to identify unhealthy green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). Vet J 185: 299-304.
  • Flower JE, Norton TM, Andrews KM, Nelson Jr SE, Parker CE, Romero LM, Mitchell MA (2015). Baseline plasma corticosterone, haematological and biochemical results in nesting and rehabilitating loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Conserv Physiol 3: doi:10.1093/conphys/cov003 Fong C, Chen H, Cheng I (2010). Blood profiles from wild populations of green sea turtles in Taiwan. J Vet Med Anim Health 2: 008-010.
  • Geffre A, Friedricks K, Harr K, Concordet D, Trumel C, Braun JP (2009). Reference values: a review. Vet Clin Path 38: 288-298.
  • Gelli D, Ferrari V, Zanella A, Arena P, Pozzi L, Nannarelli S, Vaccaro C, Bernardini D, Romagnoli S (2009). Establishing physiological blood parameters in the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). Eur J Wildl Res 55: 59-63.
  • George RH (1997). Health problems and diseases of sea turtles. In: Lutz P, Musick J, editors. The Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume I. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: CRC Press, Inc. pp. 363-385.
  • Gregory LF, Gross TS, Bolten AB, Bjorndal KA, Guillette LJ (1996). Plasma corticosterone concentrations associated with acute captivity stress in wild loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Gen Comp Endocrinol 104: 312-320.
  • Herbst LH, Jacobson ER (2003). Practical approaches for studying sea turtle health and disease. In: Lutz P, Musick J, Wyneken, J, editors. The Biology of Sea Turtles: Volume II. Washington, D.C., USA, CRC Press, pp. 385-410.
  • Hunt KE, Innis C, Rolland RM (2012). Corticosterone and thyroxine in cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii). J Zoo Wildlife Med 43: 479-493.
  • Jacobson E, Bjorndal K, Bolten A, Herren R, Harman G, Wood W (2007). Establishing plasma biochemical and hematocrit reference intervals for sea turtles in Florida. http://accstr.ufl. edu/blood_chem.htm (06.01.2018).
  • Jacobson ER, Homer BL, Stacy BA, Greiner EC, Szabo NJ, Chrisman CL, Origg, F, Coberley S, Foley AM, Landsberg JH et al. (2006). Neurological disease in wild loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta. Dis Aquat Org 70: 139-154.
  • Jessop T, Hamman M (2004). Hormonal and metabolic responses to nesting activities in the green turtle, Chelonia mydas. J Exp Mar Bio Ecol 308: 253-267.
  • Jessop TS, FitzSimmons NN, Limpus CJ, Whittier JM (1999a). Interactions between behavior and plasma steroids within the scramble mating system of the promiscuous green turtle, Chelonia mydas. Horm Behav 36: 86-97.
  • Jessop TS, Hamann M, Read MA, Limpus CJ (2000). Evidence for a hormonal tactic maximising green turtle reproduction in response to a pervasive ecological stressor. Gen Comp Endocrinol 118: 107-117.
  • Jessop TS, Limpus CJ, Whittier JM (1999b). Plasma steroid interactions during high-density green turtle nesting and associated disturbance. Gen Comp Endocrinol 115: 90-100.
  • Kaska Y, Başkale E, Katılmış Y, Sözbilen D, Azmaz M (2016). Monitoring and Conservation Studies of Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) during the 2016 Nesting Season on Muğla Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches. Denizli, Turkey, MacArt.
  • Kasparek M, Godley BJ, Broderick AC (2001). Nesting of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, in the Mediterranean: a review of status and conservation needs. Zool Middl East 24: 45-74.
  • Kelly TR, McNeill JB, Avens L, Hall AG, Goshe LR, Hohn AA, Godfrey MH, Mihnovets AN, Cluse WM, Harms CA (2015). Clinical pathology reference intervals for an in-water population of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in Core Sound, North Carolina, USA. PLoS ONE 10: e0115739.
  • Licht P, Wood J, Owens D, Wood, F (1979). Serum gonadotropins and steroids associated with breeding activities in the green turtle Chelonia mydas. I. Captive animals. Gen Comp Endocrinol 39: 274-289.
  • Margaritoulis D, Argano R, Baran I, Bentivegna F, Bradai MN, Caminas JA, Casale P, De Metrio G, Demetropoulos A, Gerosa G et al. (2003). Loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: present knowledge and conservation perspectives. In Bolten AB, Witherington BE editors. Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books, pp. 175-198.
  • Morris YA (1982). Steroid dynamics in immature sea turtles. MSc, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
  • Norton TM (2005). Sea turtle conservation in Georgia and an overview of the Georgia sea turtle center on Jekyll Island, Georgia. Ga J Sci 63: 208-230.
  • Owens DW (1976). The endocrine control of reproduction and growth in the Green Sea Turtle Chelonia mydas. PhD, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
  • Owens DW (1980). The comparative reproductive physiology of sea turtles. Am Zool 20: 549-563.
  • Owens DW (1997). Hormones in the life history of sea turtles. In: Lutz P, Musick J, editors. The Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume I. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, Inc. pp. 363-385.
  • Owens DW, Morris YA (1985). The comparative endocrinology of sea turtles. Copeia 3: 723-735.
  • Owens DW, Ruiz, GJ (1980). New methods of obtaining blood and cerebrospinal fluid from marine turtles. Herpetologica 36: 17- 20.
  • Rostal DC, Grumbles JS, Palmer KS, Lance VA, Spotila JR, Paladino FV (2001). Changes in gonadal and adrenal steroid levels in the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) during the nesting cycle. Gen Comp Endocrinol 122: 139-147.
  • Rostal DC, Owens DW, Grumbles JS, MacKenzie DS, Amoss MS (1998). Seasonal reproductive cycle of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempi). Gen Comp Endocrinol 109: 232- 243.
  • Rousselet E, Stacy NI, LaVictoire K, Higgins BM, Tocidlowski ME, Flanagan JP, Godard-Codding CAJ (2013). J Zoo Wildl Med 44: 859-874.
  • Stamper MA, Harms C, Epperly SP, Braun-McNeill J, Avens L, Stoskopf MK (2005). Relationship between barnacle epibiotic load and hematologic parameters in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), a comparison between migratory and residential animals in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. J Zoo Wildl Med 36: 635-641.
  • Türkozan O, Yalçın Özdilek Ş, Ergene S, Uçar AH, Sönmez B, Yılmaz C, Kaçar Y, Aymak C (2013). Strandings of loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles along the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Herpetol J 23: 11-15.
  • Ullmann J, Stachowitsch M (2015). A critical review of the Mediterranean sea turtle rescue network: a web looking for a weaver. J Nat Conserv 10: 45-69.
  • Whiting SD, Guinea ML, Limpus CJ, Fomiatti K (2007). Blood chemistry reference values for two ecologically distinct population of foraging green turtles, Eastern Indian Ocean. Comp Clin Path 16: 109-118.
  • Whittier JM, Corrie F, Limpus, CJ (1997). Plasma steroid profiles in nesting loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) in Queensland, Australia: relationship to nesting episode and season. Gen Comp Endocrinol 106: 39-47.
  • Wibbels T (1988). Gonadal steroid endocrinology of sea turtle reproduction. PhD, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
  • Wibbels T (1999). Diagnosing the sex of sea turtles in foraging habitats. In: Eckert KL, Bjorndal KA, Abreu-Grobois FA, Donnelly M, editors. Research and Management Techniques for the Conservation of Sea Turtles. IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group Publication No. 4.
  • Wibbels T (2003). Critical approaches to sex determination in sea turtles. In: Lutz PL, Musick JA, editors. The Biology of Sea Turtles, Volume II. Boca Raton, FL, USA: CRC Press, pp. 103- 134.
  • Wibbels T, Owens DW, Amoss MS (1987a). Seasonal changes in the serum testosterone titers of loggerhead sea turtles captured along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Ecology of East Florida Sea Turtles. NOAA Technical Report NMFS 53: 59-64.
  • Wibbels T, Owens DW, Limpus CJ, Reed PC, Amoss MS Jr (1990). Seasonal changes in serum gonadal steroids associated with migration, mating, and nesting in the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). Gen Comp Endocrinol 79: 154-164.
  • Wibbels T, Owens DW, Morris YA, Amoss MS (1987b). Sexing techniques and sex ratios for immature loggerhead sea turtles captured along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Ecology of East Florida Sea Turtles. NOAA Technical Report NMFS. 53: 65-74.