Their diet mainly consists of algae and seagrasses, though they may also forage o… (2017) suggested that relative abundance of Proteobacteria may reflect the cloacal microbiome, which may be more influenced by the surrounding environment than the gut [14].

Other studies have shown that the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae was greater than Ruminococcaceae in marine iguanas and green turtles eating macroalgaes, while the opposite was true in terrestrial herbivorous reptiles eating vascular plants [13, 33]. Methodology, Firmicutes are significant in metabolizing plant polysaccharides; thus, fewer Firmicutes may result in underutilization of wild diet items in released individuals. Samples were collected at admission, mid-rehabilitation, and recovery, which entailed a shift from a mixed seafood–vegetable diet at admission to a primarily herbivorous diet at recovery. Young green sea turtles are mainly carnivorous and eat invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish and crabs. No, Is the Subject Area "Microbiome" applicable to this article? Yes The relative abundance of Firmicutes at admission is similar to what has been found in other free-ranging hindgut fermenters, and likely reflects the important role of this phyla in metabolizing seagrass and algae consumed by free-ranging green turtles [32–34]. Writing – original draft, Affiliation https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227060.g005, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227060.g006.

Click through the PLOS taxonomy to find articles in your field. This was not the case in our study, where the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was relatively low (6.2%) in turtles admitted to rehabilitation, most of which were sick or physically traumatized, though the abundance did decrease over time in rehabilitation. Data Availability: All sequencing files are available from the NCBI BioSample/SRA database (accession number PRJNA554682). Visualization, Several links have been established, including host phylogeny, physiology, diet, and antimicrobial exposure [4–6].

The authors suggested that this indicates that omnivory is unlikely to reduce the capacity of green turtles to digest plant material [13]. The families Carnobacteriaceae, Coriobacteriaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, and Streptococcaceae were significantly associated with turtles at mid-rehabilitation, while at recovery, the families Erysipelotrichaceae and Vibrionaceae were most associated (Fig 6). Investigation, primarily seafood), and that diversity stabilized by the recovery time point, albeit with a different composition. Project administration, Knowledge of the ways in which the microbiome responds to diet, as shown in this study, are critical, so that individuals can be released in the best health possible to give them the optimum probability of survival.
This is the first study to demonstrate a relationship between the green turtle fecal microbiome and different diets offered during the recovery process in a rehabilitation hospital.

Green Turtle Predators. The size of the PCR products was verified by gel electrophoresis. The eggs and hatchlings of green sea turtles are preyed on by ghost crabs, raccoons, seabirds, dogs and fishes. Other potential contributions to shifts in GI microbial composition over time in rehabilitation include the individual turtle’s health status at admission, time spent in rehabilitation, and stress associated with captivity. Understanding how the microbiome responds to these dietary changes will allow managers to best design nutritional protocols that most closely support the microbiome found in healthy, wild green turtles, and potentially speed recovery and release back into natural environments.

It goes without saying that humans have contributed so much in exterminating turtles’ population. Composition at admission was significantly different from mid-rehabilitation and recovery, while bacterial composition at mid-rehabilitation and recovery were not significantly different.
An adult green sea turtle will measure 83-114cm (3-4ft) and they weigh 110-190kg (240-420lbs). Much like green turtles, dugongs (Dugong dugon) are specialist marine herbivores that feed on seagrass, and their fecal bacteria phyla are also primarily Firmicutes (75.6%) and Bacteroidetes (19.9%) [34]. Green turtles spend most of their time under water and they remain submerged for about. Campos et al. Diet/feeding: Juvenile green turtles are omnivorous, feeding on jellyfish, mollusks, and sponges. Writing – review & editing, Affiliation The hatching begins at 45 – 75 days. The effect of feeding commercially-available vegetables (i.e. The jaws of green sea turtles are finely serrated, an adaptation fit for their diet of sea … (2017), demonstrated that Lachnospiraceae were more abundant in green turtles in bay habitats consuming a predominately seagrass diet (a vascular plant), while Ruminococcaceae were more abundant in green turtles in pelagic habitats consuming animal/sargassum (a macroalgae) diets [14]. Green sea turtle facts about its distribution display some other places where these animals live such as British Isles, Unites States, Eastern Africa, Argentine, Caribbean, South American Islands, North Atlantic Islands, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and North of Canada. Green Sea Turtle Green Sea Turtle Facts. We expected a strong correlation between changes in GI microbial diversity and composition with changes in diet during the rehabilitation period. (2017) found that the cloacal microbiome of healthy, wild-captured green turtles in Australia was primarily Firmicutes (>60%) and Bacteroidetes (>27%), while the dominant phyla in stranded turtles were Proteobacteria (47.6%), followed by Bacteroidetes (19.0%), Firmicutes (18.7%) and Fusobacteria (13.6%) [11]. Limited research exists on the consequence of diet fed during rehabilitation on the GI microbiome and the impact this may have on recovery, time to release, and long-term survival after release.

(2018) found no significant difference in the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae in feces from wild green turtles compared to captive green turtles fed a mixed macroalgae/fish diet [13]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227060, Editor: Alberto Amato, IRIG-CEA Grenoble, FRANCE, Received: July 16, 2019; Accepted: December 10, 2019; Published: January 15, 2020. Proteobacteria was also the dominant phylum in green turtles with presumed immunosuppression due to anthropogenic impacts in another study [13]. Indeed, the microbiome of pelagic juveniles is different from that of coastal juveniles in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, suggesting influences from both habitat and diet [14]. This is similar to our study, in which turtles at the mid-rehabilitation time point consuming more animal protein had a higher relative abundance of Proteobacteria than turtles at recovery consuming 50% vegetables.

Composition at admission was significantly different from mid-rehabilitation (A: R = 0.121, p = 0.006; B: R = 0.258, p = 0.001).

Green turtles have a relatively small head with a short snout and a serrated bottom jaw to rip apart plant material. Yes https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227060.g002. Knowledge about the microbiome of sea turtles, all species of which are listed internationally as either Threatened or Endangered [9], is limited but expanding [10–16].

Thirteen of the 17 turtles received antibiotics by the time their admission sample was collected. Some other notable nesting places include Gulf of California, Turtle Islands, Philippines, French Frigate Shoals, Meru Betiri, Hawke’s Bay, Raine Island, Baluchistan, Astola Island, and Arabian Sea. 2016;559:217–229. Writing – review & editing, Roles Investigation,

Funding acquisition, LEfSe analysis revealed that the three time points were associated with significantly different bacterial taxa. Antibiotic administration (type, duration) was carefully recorded. Composition at admission was also significantly different from recovery (A: R = 0.222, p = 0.001; B: R = 0.323, p = 0.001).

Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were assigned based on at least 97% sequence similarity against the Greengenes reference database [27]. Future research into the time it takes for the green turtle GI microbiota to respond to diet would aid clinicians in deciding how long before release an individual should be transitioned to an herbivorous diet. Commensal microbes also play important roles in host immunity and serve as barriers to pathogenic bacterial colonization [2]. The admission sample was collected as soon as possible after admission, however, some turtles were anorectic and not producing feces, thus the average time in rehabilitation prior to fecal collection was 10 days (range 0–68 days). These types of turtles also subsist in Alaska, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, Tasmania, and Indian Ocean. Green sea turtles have paddle-like limbs called flippers that allow the turtle to move quickly and easily through the water. Sponges contain spicules (glass-like spines) and toxins which the hawksbills immune to, making less competition for this food source. However, they gradually shift to an entirely vegetarian diet as they exit their juvenile stage. Most datasets did not meet the assumptions of normality, hence Friedman’s test within was used (Prism v .5.0, GraphPad Software Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). here. Loggerheads feed mainly on hard-shelled organisms such as lobsters, crustaceans, and fish.

In China, the turtle soup is one of the favorites that come up with the turtle’s fat, cartilage and calipee. Formal analysis, They have a strong, tear-drop shape shell, called a ‘carapace’, which covers most of their body, except for their head and four flippers. Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America, Roles These sea turtles prefer to stay mostly in their shallow coastal waters where eggs are usually laid.


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