Influence of short-term temperature drops on sex-determination in sea turtles

Abstract

All sea turtles exhibit temperature-dependent sex-determination, where warmer temperatures produce mostly females and cooler temperatures produce mostly males. As global temperatures continue to rise, sea turtle sex-ratios have become increasingly female-biased, threatening the long-term viability of many populations. Nest temperatures are dependent on sand temperature, and heavy rainfall events reduce sand temperatures for a brief period. However, it is unknown whether these short-term temperature drops are large and long enough to produce male hatchlings. To discover if short-term temperature drops within the sex-determining period can lead to male hatchling production, we exposed green and loggerhead turtle eggs to short-term temperature drops conducted in constant temperature rooms. We dropped incubation temperature at four different times during the sex-determining period for a duration of either 3 or 7 days to mimic short-term drops in temperature caused by heavy rainfall in nature. Some male hatchlings were produced when exposed to temperature drops for as little as 3 days, but the majority of male production occurred when eggs were exposed to 7 days of lowered temperature. More male hatchlings were produced when the temperature drop occurred during the middle of the sex-determining period in green turtles, and the beginning and end of the sex-determining period in loggerhead turtles. Inter-clutch variation was evident in the proportion of male hatchlings produced, indicating that maternal and or genetic factors influence male hatchling production. Our findings have management implications for the long-term preservation of sea turtles on beaches that exhibit strongly female-biased hatchling sex-ratios.