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Determination of sex ratios and their relationship to nest temperature of loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta, L.) hatchlings produced along the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States

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Date Issued:
2005
Summary:
The sex ratios of hatchling loggerheads (Caretta caretta) were determined to provide robust assessments of regional and seasonal contributions of males and females to the population. Hatchlings from nests along the Atlantic coastline were raised to 120 g, sexed laparoscopically and verified histologically. Sex ratios differed at the beach, subseason, and subpopulation levels. There was no difference in overall sex ratios between the two study years. Average nest temperature and incubation durations were not accurate sex ratio correlates. Temperatures that produced female biased or male biased sex ratios overlapped in ranges with those producing a single sex. I found that the Transitional Range of Temperatures for loggerhead sea turtles is approximately 26.5°C--32°C, and the best correlation between average temperature and sex ratio occurred at 50--65% of incubation. Further studies are needed to define the roles of other environmental factors or the responses of tissues in loggerhead sex determination.
Title: Determination of sex ratios and their relationship to nest temperature of loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta, L.) hatchlings produced along the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States.
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Name(s): Blair, Kimberly.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Wyneken, Jeanette, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2005
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 101 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: The sex ratios of hatchling loggerheads (Caretta caretta) were determined to provide robust assessments of regional and seasonal contributions of males and females to the population. Hatchlings from nests along the Atlantic coastline were raised to 120 g, sexed laparoscopically and verified histologically. Sex ratios differed at the beach, subseason, and subpopulation levels. There was no difference in overall sex ratios between the two study years. Average nest temperature and incubation durations were not accurate sex ratio correlates. Temperatures that produced female biased or male biased sex ratios overlapped in ranges with those producing a single sex. I found that the Transitional Range of Temperatures for loggerhead sea turtles is approximately 26.5°C--32°C, and the best correlation between average temperature and sex ratio occurred at 50--65% of incubation. Further studies are needed to define the roles of other environmental factors or the responses of tissues in loggerhead sex determination.
Identifier: 9780496967179 (isbn), 13197 (digitool), FADT13197 (IID), fau:10055 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2005.
Subject(s): Sea turtles--Nests--United States
Sex (Biology)
Sea turtles--Atlantic Coast (U S )
Loggerhead turtle--Nests
Loggerhead turtle--Breeding
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/13197
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.