Data from: Ocean currents, individual movements and genetic structuring of populations

Ocean currents profoundly impact all life in the oceans and over a broad
size spectra species may show both horizontal and vertical movements to
stay on preferred locations. As a corollary it might be expected that
individuals in preferred oceanic habitats may simply drift with flows. We
explored these scenarios by both satellite tracking young pelagic
loggerhead turtles and examining the genetic structuring of individuals on
coastal foraging areas across the Mediterranean in relation to ocean flows
measured both with Lagrangian drifters and a numerical ocean circulation
model for the area. Both patterns of movement (n = 18 turtles ranging in
size from 41.2 to 68.5 cm CCL tracked for up to 460 days) and genetic
structuring (n = 165 individuals from six sites across the ocean basin)
suggested that ocean flows profoundly impact the movements of immature
turtles and suggest a pattern of largely passive drift within an ocean
basin that, throughout, is broadly favourable for developing loggerhead
turtles. The situation contrasts with more heterogeneous habitats in the
Atlantic and Pacific, where larger amounts of directional swimming may be
required to avoid sub-optimum areas.