The effects of Lyngbya majuscula blooms on marine turtles throughout Queensland • back to student info Karen Arthur *Marine Botany, Centre for Marine Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia 4072 completed 2005 k.arthur@mailbox.uq.edu.au
Large populations of endangered Green and Loggerhead turtles live and feed in coastal marine habitats where the toxic cyanobacteria Lyngbya majuscula has been observed to bloom over the summer months. Lyngbya contains a suite of toxins including tumor promoters and immunosuppressants. It grows on seagrass on which Green turtle feed and poses a threat to the carnivorous Loggerhead turtle via bioaccumulation of the toxins through the food chain. Tumor promoting toxins from marine organisms have been implicated as a possible cause of the debilitating neoplastic disease fibropapillomatosis. However, the effects of Lyngbya on biota have not been assesed.
The aim of my PhD is to observe the effects of Lyngbya blooms on marine turtles throughout Queensland, Australia. The project will focus on wild animals and I will investigate whether the animals are ingesting the cyanobacteria; whether the cyanobacteria and its toxins are assimilated by either species; and whether such blooms deter Green turtles from feeding. It is anticipated that the results of this study will have wide-ranging management and conservation implications.