Mildred Alpizar Quezada – Mexico (2023)

© Mildred Alpizar Quezada

Because sea turtles are part of the last links of the food chain, as they consume prey they bioaccumulate pollutants, or trace elements in their fat stores which can then be passed to hatchlings. Some of the trace elements that have been found in the tissues of sea turtles around the world are Zn, Se, Cu, As, Cd, Ni, Mn, Pb, and Hg, which indicate the health of the sea turtles and the health of the ecosystems they inhabit.

There’s still a lack of information on trace elements in East Pacific leatherbacks in Mexico and around the world. Mildred Alpizar Quezada is determining the concentration of trace elements and morphology of dead leatherback hatchlings to better understand this population’s health and the quality of their habitats.