A dynamic foraging habitat distribution estimate for green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef

A dynamic foraging habitat distribution estimate for green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Ecology and Evolution This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 9 February 2026 V1 Latest version Share on A dynamic foraging habitat distribution estimate for green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef Authors : Emily Webster 0000-0002-0949-9851 [email protected] , Stephanie Duce 0000-0002-3225-3315 , Colin Limpus , Nicholas Murray , Toby Patterson , Richard Pillans , Takahiro Shimada , and Mark Hamman Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177061702.20199309/v1 Published Ecology and Evolution Version of record Peer review timeline 205 views 119 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract A detailed understanding of how protected species use their habitats can guide management interventions in areas of high human use. For marine turtles, different food availability and physical habitat characteristics can underpin turtle presence at anthropogenically modified compared to unmodified sites. We develop telemetry-based habitat models with boosted regression trees to identify the environmental characteristics underpinning foraging habitat suitability for green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef region. We fit models to green turtle Fastloc GPS tracks from both modified and unmodified inshore foraging sites and using pseudo-absences (simulated correlated random walks). We assess model performance by the ability to predict known foraging areas, true skill statistic, explanatory power (percent deviance explained) and pedictive skill (AUC) of the models. We then predict potentially suitable foraging areas for green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef region using the model for unmodified habitats. Our model highlights shallow nearshore environments and midshelf reefs as important foraging areas for green turtles. These areas are likely affected by dynamic floods, development and turbidity. In 2022, 46.6% of predicted suitable habitat fell within habitat protection zones, and 16.5% in Marine National Park Zones of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. A detailed foraging distribution of the species has not previously been compiled at this regional scale. Identifying biophysical drivers of habitat suitability can inform identification of possible foraging habitat in less data rich regions in Australia and overseas. Evaluating changes over time in habitat distribution provides insights into the degree to which broad-scale environmental changes and anthropogenic activities influence the condition and function of habitats, even within protected area boundaries. Supplementary Material File (sdm_clean.docx) Download 2.17 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 09 February 2026 Peer review timeline Published Ecology and Evolution Version of Record 25 Feb 2026 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Collection Ecology and Evolution Keywords ecosystem ecology marine selection analysis vertebrate Authors Affiliations Emily Webster 0000-0002-0949-9851 [email protected] James Cook University View all articles by this author Stephanie Duce 0000-0002-3225-3315 James Cook University College of Science and Engineering View all articles by this author Colin Limpus Queensland Department of the Environment Tourism Science and Innovation View all articles by this author Nicholas Murray James Cook University College of Science and Engineering View all articles by this author Toby Patterson CSIRO View all articles by this author Richard Pillans CSIRO View all articles by this author Takahiro Shimada Department of Environment Science and Innovation View all articles by this author Mark Hamman James Cook University College of Science and Engineering View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 205 views 119 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Emily Webster, Stephanie Duce, Colin Limpus, et al. A dynamic foraging habitat distribution estimate for green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef. Authorea . 09 February 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177061702.20199309/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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