Journal of Animal Diversity

Journal of Animal Diversity

Role of Tamarix sp. roots as an underestimated biotic factor in compromising a Caretta caretta nest

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Guido Gerosa 1
Simona Zirletta 2
Fabio Giannetti 2
Martina Fustolo 3
Elisa Lanzuisi 4
Roberta Monti 5
Francesca Paola Russo 3
Nicola Marrone 2
1 Rete TartaLazio, regional network, 00173 Rome, Italy; Chelon, Marine Turtle Conservation and Research Program, 00141 Rome, Italy
2 Rete TartaLazio, regional network, 00173 Rome, Italy; Lazio Region – Riviera di Ulisse Regional Park, 04024 Gaeta, Italy
3 Rete TartaLazio, regional network, 00173 Rome, Italy
4 Rete TartaLazio, regional network, 00173 Rome, Italy; Lazio Region – Coastal and Marine Nature Conservation Office, 00173 Rome, Italy
5 Rete TartaLazio, regional network, 00173 Rome, Italy; Accademia del Leviatano APS, 00054 Maccarese, Italy
10.22034/JAD.2026.8.1.3
Abstract
The increase in the number of Caretta caretta nests identified along the Lazio region coast (Central Italy, Mediterranean Sea) and the short distance of these nests from the High Tide Line (HTL) is making nest relocation a frequent management practice. Despite the care taken during nest relocation, the choice of the relocation sites can be compromised by unforeseen biotic factors. This paper documents reproductive failure in a relocated nest caused by interaction with the root system of a specimen of Tamarix sp. The nest, relocated 9.56 m from a Tamarix sp., was excavated 61 days after oviposition, as it showed no emergence of hatchlings. Despite continuous monitoring of nest temperature and effective protection from storm surges, emergence success was 0%. Subsequent analysis indicated that lateral roots of Tamarix sp. had encircled and apparently caused depletion of fluids from 55 eggs, halting embryonic development, presumably prior to day 12 after oviposition. The roots had travelled 11.06 m in the direction of the sea, encountered the nest, and were associated with apparent water depletion from the eggs, suggesting that the roots may have used the egg fluids as a source of water, resulting in a potentially fatal water-competition mechanism. This evidence underlines the critical need to revise relocation protocols to include preventive analysis of backdunal vegetation and substrate surveys to identify extensive root systems, especially those of Tamarix sp., which may cause an unfavorable ecological interaction for sea turtle conservation.
Keywords
Caretta caretta
dune vegetation
hydric competition
incubation
nest relocation
Tamarix sp
Subjects
Ackerman, R. A. (1991). Physical factors affecting the water exchange of buried reptile eggs, In: Deeming, D. C. and Ferguson, M. W. J. (Eds.), Egg incubation: Its effects on embryonic development in birds and reptiles. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. pp. 193–212.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511585739.013
Ackerman, R. A. (1997). The nest environment and the embryonic development of sea turtles, In: Lutz, P. L. and Musick, J. A.  (Eds.), The biology of sea turtles. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, USA. pp. 83–106.
Amarouche, K. and Akpinar, A. (2021). Increasing trend on storm wave intensity in the Western Mediterranean. Climate, 9 (1): 11.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cli9010011
Awale, D. and Phillott, A. (2014). A review of the adverse effects of Casuarina spp. on coastal ecosystems and sea turtle nesting beaches. Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter, 19: 14–19.
Baum, B. R. (1978). The genus Tamarix. … Academy of Sciences and Humanities. 209 pp.
Conrad, J., Wyneken, J., Garner, J. and Garner, S. (2011). Experimental study of dune vegetation impact and control on leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) nests. Endangered Species Research, 15: 13–27.
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00361
Ernest, R. G., Martin, R. E., Desjardin, N. A., Scripter, M. J., Scarola, J. C., Kim, H. and Trindell, R. (2025). Changes in loggerhead sea turtle nesting behavior on a nourished beach in southeast Florida. Journal of Coastal Research, 41 (1): 27–48.
https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-23-00092.1
Esposito, L. A., Briggs, T. R. and Milton, S. L. (2025). Erosion and overwash risk to loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nests on a South Florida nesting beach. Shore and Beach, 93 (3): 43–55.
https://doi.org/10.34237/1009334
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). (2016). Marine Turtle Conservation Handbook. Incorporated by reference in Rule 68E-1.004, Florida Administrative Code. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida, USA. 170 pp.
Gerosa, G., Marrone, N., Giannetti, F., Monti, R., Nori Persichetti, F., Santini, E., Zirletta, S., Manfrini, V. and Marini, L. (2025). Assessment of asynchronous emergence in Caretta caretta nests through a novel index for conservation applications. Discover Conservation, 2: 30.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s44353-025-00051-1
Hannan, L., Roth, J., Ehrhart, L. and Weishampel, J. (2007). Dune vegetation fertilization by nesting sea turtles. Ecology, 88: 1053–1058.
https://doi.org/10.1890/06-0629
Hochscheid, S., Maffucci, F., Abella, E., Bradai, M. N., Camedda, A., Carreras, C., Claro, F., de Lucia, G. A., Jribi, I., Mancusi, C., Marco, A., Marrone, N., Papetti, L., Revuelta, O., Urso, S. and Tomás, J. (2022). Nesting range expansion of loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean: Phenology, spatial distribution, and conservation implications Global Ecology and Conservation, 38: e02194.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02194
Lasala, J. A., Macksey, M. C., Mazzarella, K. T., Main, K. L., Foote, J. J. and Tucker, A. D. (2023). Forty years of monitoring increasing sea turtle relative abundance in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientific Reports, 13: 17213.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43651-4
Leader, N., Levy, Y. and Türkozan, O. (2024). Artificial light at night on nesting beaches of the green turtle. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 48: 203–210.
https://doi.org/10.55730/1300-0179.3176
Limpus, C. J., Miller, J. D. and Pfaller, J. B. (2021). Flooding-induced mortality of loggerhead sea turtle eggs. Wildlife Research, 48 (2): 142–151.
https://doi.org/10.1071/WR20080
Mancino, C., Canestrelli, D. and Maiorano, L. (2022). Going west: Range expansion for loggerhead sea turtles in the Mediterranean Sea under climate change. Global Ecology and Conservation, 38: e02264.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02264
Margaritoulis, D. (2005). Nesting activity and reproductive output of loggerhead sea turtles. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 4: 916–929
Miller, J. D., Mortimer, J. A. and Limpus, C. J. (2017). A field key to the developmental stages of marine turtles. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 16 (2): 111–122.
https://doi.org/10.2744/CCB-1261.1
Morisseau, S., Jeanson, M., Aubry, A., le Gall, L., Delvenne, C., Charroux, S., Mercky, Y., Le Bozec, C., Girondot, M., Chevallier, D. and Sucré, E. (2025). Nest exposure to marine flooding and impacts on green turtles (Chelonia mydas) embryos under rapid sea level rise: The role of beach geomorphology and hydrodynamics. Marine Environmental Research, 211: 107444.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107444
Onori, L. (Ed.). (2009). Il ripristino degli ecosistemi marino-costieri e la difesa delle coste sabbiose nelle Aree protette. Rapporti ISPRA 100/2009. Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA), Rome, Italy, 375 pp. ISBN 978-88-448-0404-6.
Parmenter, C. J. (1980). The incubation of the eggs of the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, in Torres Strait, Australia: The effect of movement on hatchability. Australian Wildlife Research, 7 (3): 487–491.
https://doi.org/10.1071/WR9800487
Pike, D. A., Roznik, E. and Bell, I. (2015). Nest inundation from sea-level rise threatens sea turtle population viability. Royal Society Open Science, 2: 150127.
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.150127
Redding, O. T., Castorani, M. C. N. and Lasala, J. A. (2024). The effects of dune plant roots on loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nest success. Ecology and Evolution, 14 (4): e11207.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11207
Rees, A. F. (2020). Marine turtles in MPAs: A monitoring and management guide. MedPAN Collection. The Marine Turtle Working Group, Marseille, France, 68 pp.
Serafini, T. Z., Lopez, G. G. and Bernardo da Rocha, P. L. (2009). Nest site selection and hatching success of hawksbill and loggerhead sea turtles (Testudines, Cheloniidae) at Arembepe Beach, northeastern Brazil. Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology, 8 (1): 3–17.
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v8i1p03-17
Shaver, D. J., Frandsen, H. R., Walker, J. S., George, J. A. and Gredzens, C. (2020). Threats to Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii Garman, 1880) nests incubating in situ on the Texas coast. Herpetology Notes, 13: 907–923.
Ware, M. and Fuentes, M. M. P. B. (2017). Assessing the need and implications of sea turtle nest relocation: Final report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Florida State University, Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Science, Tallahassee, Florida, USA, 28 pp.
Witherington, B., Hirama, S. and Mosier, A. (2011). Sea turtle response to barriers on their nesting beach. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 401 (1–2): 1–6.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2011.03.012
Wood, A., Booth D. T. and Limpus C. J. (2014). Sun exposure, nest temperature and loggerhead turtle hatchlings: Implications for beach shading management strategies at sea turtle rookeries. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 451: 105–114.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2013.11.005
Wood, D. W. and Bjorndal, K. A. (2000). Relation of temperature, moisture, salinity, and slope to nest site selection in loggerhead sea turtles. Copeia, 2000 (1): 119–128.
https://doi.org/10.1643/0045-8511(2000)2000[01 19:ROTMSA]2.0.CO;2