| This study describes physiological changes associated with the reproductive fast of loggerhead sea turtles. Blood samples collected from nesting turtles on Hutchinson Island, FL and samples collected from pre-nesting loggerheads caught off the coast of Cape Canaveral, FL were analyzed for glucose, total protein, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), ketone bodies (3-beta-hydroxybutyrate), and testosterone. Glucose and ketone bodies remained stable throughout the fast. Total protein was significantly higher in pre-nesting samples presumably due to ovarian development. Total protein throughout the nesting season did not change significantly. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration was correlated with total protein concentration. Testosterone dynamics closely matched patterns reported elsewhere in loggerheads and other sea turtles with concentrations declining as the season progressed. Taken together, the results suggest that sea turtles appear to be well-adapted to fasting with adequate fuel reserves present at the last clutch of the season to make the return migration to foraging grounds. |
