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UNDERSTANDING THE PHENOTYPE: A STUDY ON HOW THE INCUBATION ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCES EMBRYO GROWTH, SEX, AND SEX RATIOS IN TURTLES WITH TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT SEX DETERMINATION

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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.
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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.