Meeting Abstract

P1-68   -   Comparing Temperature Effects on Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta Caretta) Hatchling Properties Between 2002 and 2021 Prasertlum, J*; Lasala, JA; Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium; Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium jeenapras@gmail.com

Nest incubation temperatures affect the development of many species of reptiles, including the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). Temperature shifts can change incubation duration, hatchling growth, and through temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) can trigger developing gonads to differentiate and become either male or female. If temperature shifts dramatically over time, sea turtle populations could be heavily influenced by incubation temperature and other environmental factors that may alter temperature. It is critical to assess the severity of incubation temperature effects on hatchlings. Temperature data loggers were placed in loggerhead nests from the largest nesting aggregation in the Gulf of Mexico in 2002 and 2021 to compare temperature differences and to assess the effects of temperature on incubation duration, body condition index (BCI), straight carapace length (SCL), hatch success (HS), emergence success (ES), and growth rate. Three temperature periods were compared to identify shifts in potential primary sex ratios. Our findings indicate that average incubation temperature has a significant effect on growth rate, HS, and ES, but not on hatchling morphometrics or BCI. The temperature data suggest an overall female-biased sex ratio over time which should be taken into consideration when examining effective management and conservation methods for this species.