You are here
UNDERSTANDING THE PHENOTYPE: A STUDY ON HOW THE INCUBATION ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCES EMBRYO GROWTH, SEX, AND SEX RATIOS IN TURTLES WITH TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT SEX DETERMINATION
- Date Issued:
- 2019
- Abstract/Description:
- Currently, one of the most critical research priorities in wildlife science is to understand, describe, and predict how the unprecedented rate of climate change will impact organisms and ecosystems. This is particularly essential for thermally sensitive organisms that are already imperiled, such as turtles. For all known turtle species, the nest incubation environment plays a critical role in many developmental processes which can directly influence a number of phenotypic traits, such as body size, mass, locomotor performance, behavior and even sex. Most chelonians (and all extant marine turtles) possess a mechanism known as temperature dependent sex determination (TSD), whereby gonads differentiate into ovaries or testes depending on the incubation temperature of the eggs during a critical period of embryonic development. The rapid rate of climate change highlights the need for a clear understanding of how potential changes in the nest environment will affect turtle development and hatchling phenotype. However, it is poorly understood how different environmental factors interact with the embryo’s own genetic program to produce a specific phenotype. My thesis aims to (i) provide a better understanding of the complex relationship between the developing embryo and the nest environment and its effect on hatchling phenotype, and (ii) offer a solution to the difficulties associated with identifying primary sex ratios in turtle species with TSD.
Title: | UNDERSTANDING THE PHENOTYPE: A STUDY ON HOW THE INCUBATION ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCES EMBRYO GROWTH, SEX, AND SEX RATIOS IN TURTLES WITH TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT SEX DETERMINATION. |
82 views
42 downloads |
---|---|---|
Name(s): |
Tezak, Boris M. , author Wyneken, Jeanette, Thesis advisor Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor Department of Biological Sciences Charles E. Schmidt College of Science |
|
Type of Resource: | text | |
Genre: | Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation | |
Date Created: | 2019 | |
Date Issued: | 2019 | |
Publisher: | Florida Atlantic University | |
Place of Publication: | Boca Raton, Fla. | |
Physical Form: | application/pdf | |
Extent: | 142 p. | |
Language(s): | English | |
Abstract/Description: | Currently, one of the most critical research priorities in wildlife science is to understand, describe, and predict how the unprecedented rate of climate change will impact organisms and ecosystems. This is particularly essential for thermally sensitive organisms that are already imperiled, such as turtles. For all known turtle species, the nest incubation environment plays a critical role in many developmental processes which can directly influence a number of phenotypic traits, such as body size, mass, locomotor performance, behavior and even sex. Most chelonians (and all extant marine turtles) possess a mechanism known as temperature dependent sex determination (TSD), whereby gonads differentiate into ovaries or testes depending on the incubation temperature of the eggs during a critical period of embryonic development. The rapid rate of climate change highlights the need for a clear understanding of how potential changes in the nest environment will affect turtle development and hatchling phenotype. However, it is poorly understood how different environmental factors interact with the embryo’s own genetic program to produce a specific phenotype. My thesis aims to (i) provide a better understanding of the complex relationship between the developing embryo and the nest environment and its effect on hatchling phenotype, and (ii) offer a solution to the difficulties associated with identifying primary sex ratios in turtle species with TSD. | |
Identifier: | FA00013421 (IID) | |
Degree granted: | Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. | |
Collection: | FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection | |
Note(s): | Includes bibliography. | |
Subject(s): |
Phenotype Temperature-dependent sex determination Turtles--Growth |
|
Held by: | Florida Atlantic University Libraries | |
Sublocation: | Digital Library | |
Persistent Link to This Record: | http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013421 | |
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. |