The Persian Gulf hosts marine mega-herbivores that forage in its coastal habitats. Some areas, mainly along its southern coast, contain abundant benthic plants; however, marine plant resources are limited throughout most of this warm sea, which presents nutritional challenges for large herbivores. We measured curved carapace length (CCL) for 102 green turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) from foraging grounds with relatively limited plant resources surrounding Qeshm Island at the eastern Persian Gulf. The mean CCL was 41.8 cm (SE = ± 1.3 cm; range = 18.5–99), and 93 turtles (91%) had CCL < 65 cm, indicating the area is primarily a juvenile developmental habitat. To study feeding ecology of green turtles in the area, we analyzed esophageal lavage samples from 36 individuals captured in muddy-bottom ( n = 23) and sandy/rocky-bottom ( n = 13) habitats. Diet data showed a generalist foraging population with dietary niche variation among individuals that targeted mixtures of macroalgae, seagrasses and mangrove. Green turtles showed a slight preference for green algae ( Ulva sp.) at both sites. The mean Fulton’s body condition index for juvenile turtles was 1.14 (SE = ± 0.03; n = 72), which is comparable to values reported elsewhere, and indicates that these turtles were not under-nourished. This is intriguing in light of the paucity of local food resources, and perhaps due to the absence of large sub-adults and adults with higher food demand, and/or individual dietary niche variation among resident turtles, both of which reduce competition among local green turtles for the region’s available resources.

中文翻译：

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波斯湾食物贫乏栖息地幼年绿海龟的饲养生态

波斯湾拥有在其沿海栖息地觅食的海洋大型食草动物。一些地区，主要是南部沿海地区，有丰富的底栖植物；然而，在这片温暖海域的大部分地区，海洋植物资源有限，这给大型食草动物带来了营养挑战。我们测量了来自波斯湾东部格什姆岛周围植物资源相对有限的觅食地的 102 只绿海龟 (Chelonia mydas) 的弯曲甲壳长度 (CCL)。平均 CCL 为 41.8 厘米（SE = ± 1.3 厘米；范围 = 18.5-99），93 只海龟（91%）的 CCL < 65 厘米，表明该地区主要是幼年发育栖息地。为了研究该地区绿海龟的摄食生态，我们分析了在泥底 (n = 23) 和沙/岩底 (n = 13) 栖息地捕获的 36 只个体的食道灌洗样本。饮食数据显示，在针对大型藻类、海草和红树林混合物的个体中，具有饮食生态位差异的多面手觅食种群。绿海龟在两个地点都表现出对绿藻（Ulva sp.）的轻微偏好。幼龟的平均富尔顿身体状况指数为 1.14 (SE = ± 0.03; n = 72)，与其他地方报告的值相当，表明这些海龟没有营养不良。鉴于当地食物资源匮乏，这很有趣，也许是因为缺乏对食物需求更高的大型亚成体和成体，和/或常驻海龟之间的个体饮食生态位差异，这两者都减少了当地绿色动物之间的竞争。海龟为该地区的可用资源。