Agardh, Viva fasciata Delile, Acanthophora spidfera (Vahl) Borgesen, and Hyptiea musciformis (Wulfen in Jacquin) Lamouroux, and the sea grass Halophila hawaiiana Doty & Stone dominate the diet of the Hawaiian green turtle (Balazs 1980, Russell and Balazs 1994, Arthur and Balazs 2008), some of which have high caloric, carbohydrate, protein, and vitamin A content (McDermid et al. Agardh, Codium spp., Pterocladiella capillacea (Gmelin) Santelices & Hommersand, Spyridia flamentosa (Wulfen) Harvey, Turbinaria omata (Turner) J. Ten species of macroalgae, Amansia glomerata C. The diet of green turdes (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus), the largest marine herbivore in the Hawaiian archipelago, includes more than 275 species of macroalgae, two species of sea grasses, and several species of Cyanobacteria (Russell and Balazs 2000, Russell et al. In foraging areas where native macroalgal species have declined and/or turtle carrying capacity has been reached, green turtles may exploit new foods, such as seashore paspalum, and perhaps mitigate decline in somatic growth rates and body condition. vaginatum because of its local abundance and/or its high protein and caloric content. Green turtles in Hawai'i may opportunistically consume P. In contrast to the two seaweed species, Paspalum vaginatum contained approximately half the ash 300-1,500 more calories/g ash-free dry weight three to four times greater total protein and 3-19 times higher lignin content. Agardh) Silva & DeCew, an abundant high-intertidal species sometimes consumed by turtles, were analyzed for comparison. In addition, two red seaweeds, Pterocladiella capillacea (Gmelin) Santelices & Hommersand, a common food source for green turtles, and Ahnfeltiopsisconcinna (J. Paspalum vaginatum samples were collected at Keaukaha Beach Park, Hilo, and analyzed for nutritional composition (percentage water, percentage ash, caloric value, C:N ratio, percentage protein, and percentage lignin). The role of this grass in green turtle nutrition is unknown. On the east side of the island of Hawai'i, at high tide, green turtles have been observed feeding on a terrestrial, salt-tolerant turfgrass: seashore paspalum, Paspalum vaginatum Swartz, first introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in the 1930s. Abstract: The Hawaiian green turtle, Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, is a marine herbivore known to feed on sea grasses and seaweeds.
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