Meeting Abstract

P3-155    The effect of sequential nesting on loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) hatchling morphometrics and body condition in the Gulf of Mexico Heck, J; Lasala, JA*; Mote Marine Laboratory; Mote Marine Laboratory jlasala@mote.org

In the Gulf of Mexico, the female loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) will lay on average 5 nests per season. However, females have a limited quantity of resources to provide for sequential clutches and it is unknown if earlier clutches contain greater resources than later clutches. Eggs that contain fewer nutrients may result in smaller hatchlings. A confounding issue results from the role that temperature plays on hatchling development. Warmer temperatures speed up development, but temperatures that are too hot can be detrimental or even lethal to morphological development. The primary goal of this project was to determine if hatchling morphometrics and body condition were affected by the date the nest was laid, the duration of the incubation period, or by the number of nests laid by an individual female. A secondary goal was to assess scute deformities over the course of the nesting season to determine if there were differences over time. Hatchlings from sequential nests laid in 2020 & 2021 on a large loggerhead rookery in the Gulf of Mexico were assessed. The date individual nests were laid and incubation duration both had a significant impact on hatchling size, and sequential nests had significantly different numbers of scute deformities. However, many factors contribute to the development of sea turtle hatchlings, and other environmental impacts likely influence different developmental stages. Future research should focus on environmental factors such as temperature and moisture, and their effects on body condition and carapacial anomalies.