Abstract The financial expense of tracking solutions often impedes effective characterisation of habitat use in threatened marine megavertebrates. Yet some of these taxa predictably aggregate at coastal breeding sites, providing conservation opportunities. Toward a low-cost solution for tracking marine megavertebrates, we trial conventional GPS data loggers against Argos satellite transmitters for assessing inter-nesting habitat use of marine turtles. Devices were attached to green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles nesting at a study site in Cyprus, where patrol teams were in place to retrieve GPS loggers from turtles returning to lay subsequent clutches. GPS tracking revealed loggerhead turtles to predominantly use areas outside the boundaries of an MPA proposed for the region, while both species under-used much of the MPA area. Due to high location error, Argos data were considered unsuitable for such fine-scale assessments (all location classes except Z were included in our analysis). However, Argos tracking showed half the loggerhead turtles sampled also nested outside of the patrolled study area, demonstrating connectivity with other proposed MPAs. This was not accounted for by GPS tracking, because females exhibiting this behaviour rarely returned to the study beach, precluding GPS retrieval, thus, demonstrating the power of remote data access. The low-cost GPS technology could be considered in similar cases, where recapture is likely and where funding barriers preclude the use of Argos-relay fast-acquisition GPS technology. In combining the accuracy GPS and the continuity of Argos, the latter provides the best solution in most scenarios, but at far greater cost.

中文翻译：

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现成的 GPS 技术为海龟的海洋保护区提供信息

摘要 跟踪解决方案的财务费用通常会阻碍对受威胁海洋大型脊椎动物栖息地使用的有效表征。然而，其中一些类群可以预见地聚集在沿海繁殖地，提供保护机会。为了找到一种用于跟踪海洋巨型脊椎动物的低成本解决方案，我们针对 Argos 卫星发射器试用了传统的 GPS 数据记录器，以评估海龟的筑巢间栖息地使用情况。在塞浦路斯的一个研究地点筑巢的绿海龟（Chelonia mydas）和红海龟（Caretta caretta）上安装了设备，巡逻队在那里从返回的海龟身上取回 GPS 记录器，以准备随后的离合器。GPS 跟踪显示红海龟主要使用为该地区提议的 MPA 边界以外的区域，而这两种物种都未充分利用大部分 MPA 区域。由于高定位误差，Argos 数据被认为不适合这种精细尺度的评估（我们的分析中包括除 Z 之外的所有位置类别）。然而，Argos 跟踪显示，一半被采样的红海龟也嵌套在巡逻研究区之外，证明与其他拟议的海洋保护区的连通性。GPS 跟踪没有考虑到这一点，因为表现出这种行为的雌性很少返回研究海滩，从而阻止 GPS 检索，从而证明了远程数据访问的能力。在类似的情况下可以考虑使用低成本 GPS 技术，在这种情况下，可能会重新夺回，并且资金障碍阻止使用 Argos 中继快速获取 GPS 技术。结合精确的 GPS 和 Argos 的连续性，