Ten Years of Monitoring the Nesting Ecology of the Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas, on Lanyu (Orchid Island), Taiwan

摘要: We report on the nesting ecology and environmental parameters of one largest green turtle, Chelonia mydas, rookery site in Taiwan: Lanyu (Orchid I.), Taitung County, southeastern Taiwan. The was studied from 1997 to 2006. Results showed that although turtles nest year-round, main season occurs warm dry summer. Green were forced smallest beach, where anthropogenic disturbances relatively low. surface-water temperature tends result shorter inter-nesting intervals. Fewer nesters poor years found lay fewer clutches. wet cooler weather firm sand increase substratum compactness, resulting shallow nests. Larger females tended deposit larger clutch sizes. Precipitation may be responsible for increased hatching mortality. morphological characters hatchlings influenced by egg characters. Although population size study area is small, studies conservation measures are still important regional status, especially Asian region most populations either severely depleted and/or poorly understood.