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Investigating maternal health and hatchling mortality in leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea v.)
- Date Issued:
- 2013
- Summary:
- The reproductive success of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) is typically the lowest of the seven sea turtle species. Why this vital rate is decreased has remained unanswered for nearly a century. Recently, detailed postmortem examination of leatherback hatchlings identified muscular pathologies that suggested possible selenium deficiency. High bodily burdens of mercury compounds are associated with selenium depletion. Selenium is a necessary detoxifying nutrient that itself can be toxic at elevated concentrations. Mercury compounds are toxicants with no known biological function. High bodily concentrations of mercury can be detrimental to marine organismal health, reproduction and survival, both directly and indirectly through inducing selenium depletion. The goals of this dissertation are to evaluate several related hypotheses to explain low leatherback nest success. ... Because leatherbacks take in high volumes of prey, high tissue concentrations of mercury and selenium can result. This study provides the first evidence that chemical contaminants may explain low reproductive success in leatherback sea turtles.
Title: | Investigating maternal health and hatchling mortality in leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea v.). |
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Name(s): |
Perrault, Justin R. Charles E. Schmidt College of Science Department of Biological Sciences |
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Type of Resource: | text | |
Genre: | Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation | |
Issuance: | monographic | |
Date Issued: | 2013 | |
Publisher: | Florida Atlantic University | |
Physical Form: | electronic | |
Extent: | xx, 166 p. : ill., maps | |
Language(s): | English | |
Summary: | The reproductive success of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) is typically the lowest of the seven sea turtle species. Why this vital rate is decreased has remained unanswered for nearly a century. Recently, detailed postmortem examination of leatherback hatchlings identified muscular pathologies that suggested possible selenium deficiency. High bodily burdens of mercury compounds are associated with selenium depletion. Selenium is a necessary detoxifying nutrient that itself can be toxic at elevated concentrations. Mercury compounds are toxicants with no known biological function. High bodily concentrations of mercury can be detrimental to marine organismal health, reproduction and survival, both directly and indirectly through inducing selenium depletion. The goals of this dissertation are to evaluate several related hypotheses to explain low leatherback nest success. ... Because leatherbacks take in high volumes of prey, high tissue concentrations of mercury and selenium can result. This study provides the first evidence that chemical contaminants may explain low reproductive success in leatherback sea turtles. | |
Identifier: | 863701614 (oclc), 3362575 (digitool), FADT3362575 (IID), fau:4222 (fedora) | |
Note(s): |
by Justin R. Perrault. Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. Includes bibliography. Mode of access: World Wide Web. System requirements: Adobe Reader. |
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Subject(s): |
Selenium -- Physiological effect Predation (Biology) Leatherback turtle -- Mortality Sea turtles -- Mortality Wildlife conservation |
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Held by: | FBoU FAUER | |
Persistent Link to This Record: | http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3362575 | |
Use and Reproduction: | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ | |
Host Institution: | FAU |