Using Lidar Data to Assess the Relationship Between Beach Geomorphology and Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) Nest Site Selection Along Padre Island, TX, United States

Abstract

The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is the most endangered sea turtle species in the world, largely due to the limited geographic range of its nesting habitat. There has been limited research regarding the connection between beach geomorphology and Kemp’s ridley nesting patterns, but studies concerning other sea turtle species suggest that certain beach geomorphology variables, such as beach slope and width, influence nest site selection. This research attempts to address the literature gap by quantifying the terrestrial habitat variability of the Kemp’s ridley and investigating the connection between beach geomorphology characteristics and Kemp’s ridley nesting preferences on Padre Island, TX, United States. Geomorphology characteristics, such as beach width and slope, were extracted from lidar-derived digital elevation models and associated with Kemp’s nest coordinates and pseudo-absence points randomly created within the study area. Generalized linear models and random forest models were used to assess the significance of variables for nesting preferences. Kemp’s ridley nest presence was successfully modeled using beach geomorphology characteristics, and elevation, distance from shoreline, maximum dune slope, and average beach slope were the most important variables in the models. Kemp’s ridleys exhibit a preference for a limited range of the study area and avoid nesting on beaches with beach characteristics of extreme values. The results of this study include new information regarding Kemp’s ridley terrestrial habitat and nesting preferences that have many applications for species conservation and management.