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Potential male leatherback hatchlings exhibit higher fitness which might balance sea turtle sex ratios in the face of climate change

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  • Marga L. Rivas

    (University of Almería
    Marta Abreu de Las Villas University)

  • Nicole Esteban

    (Swansea University)

  • Adolfo Marco

    (Estación Biológica de Doñana, CSIC)

Abstract

Sea turtles are vertebrates with temperature-dependent sex determination. Rising temperatures due to climate change cause female-biased sex ratios. We have assessed the influence of nest depth and shading conditions on nest temperatures and hatchling fitness of the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). We relocated 48 leatherback clutches into a hatchery in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Of these, 24 clutches were placed under shade conditions and 24 were placed under unshaded (sun) conditions at three depths (50, 75, 90 cm). Fitness (as measured by greater carapace length, carapace width and hatchling weight) and locomotion performance (faster crawling and shorter righting responses) were better in leatherback hatchlings from the cooler, shaded nests than in those from the warmer, unshaded nests. In 2013, in clutches at a depth of 50 cm, hatching success was higher for the shaded clutches (79.68% ± 15.32%) than for the unshaded clutches (38.39% ± 34.35), while in clutches at deeper depths unshaded clutches had higher hatching success (35.58% ± 24.01%) than shaded clutches (60.62% ± 12.21%). Our results show that shaded conditions produced hatchlings with a higher fitness and a higher likelihood of being male. Therefore, our results can be used to provide conservation policies with a tool to decrease the current female-skewed sex ratio production caused by rising temperatures at most nesting rookeries around the world.

Suggested Citation

  • Marga L. Rivas & Nicole Esteban & Adolfo Marco, 2019. "Potential male leatherback hatchlings exhibit higher fitness which might balance sea turtle sex ratios in the face of climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 156(1), pages 1-14, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:156:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s10584-019-02462-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-019-02462-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thomas Wernberg & Dan A. Smale & Fernando Tuya & Mads S. Thomsen & Timothy J. Langlois & Thibaut de Bettignies & Scott Bennett & Cecile S. Rousseaux, 2013. "An extreme climatic event alters marine ecosystem structure in a global biodiversity hotspot," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 3(1), pages 78-82, January.
    2. J. Jourdan & M. Fuentes, 2015. "Effectiveness of strategies at reducing sand temperature to mitigate potential impacts from changes in environmental temperature on sea turtle reproductive output," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 121-133, January.
    3. Jacques-Olivier Laloë & Jacquie Cozens & Berta Renom & Albert Taxonera & Graeme C. Hays, 2014. "Effects of rising temperature on the viability of an important sea turtle rookery," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(6), pages 513-518, June.
    4. Vincent S. Saba & Charles A. Stock & James R. Spotila & Frank V. Paladino & Pilar Santidrián Tomillo, 2012. "Projected response of an endangered marine turtle population to climate change," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 2(11), pages 814-820, November.
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