Dr. Melania C. López-Castro

Coordinator, Sea Turtle Conservation Program at Pronatura Península de Yucatán, A.C.
Instructor, Center for Wildlife Studies

Ph.D. Biology, University of Florida

M.S. Marine Ecology, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada

B.S. Marine Biology, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur

Email: mlopez@pronatura-ppy.org.mx

Research gate profile

Melania is the coordinator of the Sea Turtle Conservation Program at Pronatura Península de Yucatán, A.C. She is a Marine Biologist fascinated by sea turtles. Her research focuses on understanding the connectivity of critical habitats through the ontogenetic shifts of these species, from oceanic to coastal foraging grounds and nesting areas, using biomarkers such as trace elements and lead isotopes as well as traditional tagging methods.

She conducts a long-term monitoring program at three index nesting beaches in the Yucatán Peninsula with the help of her team. This monitoring program provides information to evaluate the conservation and recovery status of hawksbill and green sea turtles.

    • Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation

    • Cuevas E, Putman NF, Uribe-Martínez A, López-Castro MC, Guzmán-Hernández V, Gallegos-Fernández SA, Liceaga-Correa MdlÁ, Trujillo-Córdova JA, González-Díaz-Mirón RdJ, Negrete-Phillipe A, Acosta-Sánchez HH, Martínez-Portugal RC, López-Hernández M, Huerta-Rodríguez P and Silver J (2020). First Spatial Distribution Analysis of Male Sea Turtles in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:561846.

    • Eckert, K., Azanza-Ricardo, J., Barrientos-Muñoz, K.G., Barrios-Garrido, H., Bevan, E., Baumbach, D., BErkel, J., Campbell, C.L., Cuevas, E., Charles, K., Damazo, L., Daniel, C., Diez, C.E., Doyle, E., Dunbar, S.G., Eckert, S., Ecjert, A., Gammariello, R., García, M., Godfrey, D., Guada, H., Horrocks, J., Gerhartz-Muro, J.L., Guy-Stapleton, C., Hayes, C., Lagueux, C.J., Levenson, J., López-Castro, M.C., Martín-Viaña, Y.F., Meylan, A., Moncada-Gavilán, F., Montiel.Villalobos, M.G., Morrall, C., Ramírez-Gallego, C., Restrepo-Garzon, N., Rodríguez-Baron, J.M., Rojas-Cañizales, D., Ruíz-Álvarez, T., Schut, K., Searle, L., Stapleton, S., Uribe-Martínez, A., Wright, M., Wibbels, T., Wildermann, N., Robinson, N.J. (2020) Sea Turtles of the Caribbean. State of the World’s Sea Turtle (SWOT). Report Vol. 15.

    • Nathan, F. P., Seney, E. E., Verley, P., Shaver, D. J., Ceriani, S., González-Díaz-Mirón, R., Guzmán-Hernández, V., López-Castro, M., Mongiovi, E., Peña, J., Tzeek, M., Valverde, R. A., Cook, M., Foley, A. M., Tumlin, M. C., Teas, W. G., Caillouet Jr., C. W., Cuevas, E., Gallaway, B., Raborn, S. W., Richards, P. M. y Mansfield, K. L. 2019. Predicted distributions and abundances of the sea turtle “lost years” in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Ecography, 42: 1 -12.

    • Reich K.J., López-Castro M.C., Shaver D.J., Iseton C., Hart K.M., Hooper M.J., Schmitt C.J. 2017. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys kempii after Deepwater Horizon. Endangered Species Research. 33:281-289.

    • Lopez-Castro M.C., Bjorndal K.A., Kamenov, G.D., Bolten, A.B. 2014. Identifying oceanic foraging grounds of sea turtles in the Atlantic using lead isotopes. Marine Biology 161:2269-2278.

    • Lopez-Castro M.C., Bjorndal K.A., Bolten, A.B. 2014. Evaluation of scute thickness to infer life history records in the carapace of green and loggerhead turtles. Endangered Species Research 24:191–196.

    • Lopez-Castro M.C., Bjorndal K.A., Kamenov, G.D., Zenil-Ferguson, R., Bolten, A.B. 2013. Sea turtle population structure and connectivity between oceanic and neritic foraging areas in the Atlantic revealed through trace elements. Marine Ecology Progress Series 490:233-246.