Sex determination in northern painted turtles: effect of incubation at constant and fluctuating temperatures

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 2543-2547 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Schwarzkopf ◽  
Ronald J. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Chrysemys Picta ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Northern Population ◽  
Painted Turtles ◽  
Threshold Temperatures ◽  
Warm Summer ◽  
Summer Temperatures ◽  
Fluctuating Temperatures

Temperature-dependent sex determination was studied in a northern population of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) in both laboratory and field. Eggs incubated at constant temperatures of 30 and 32 °C produced females only, whereas those kept at 22, 24, and 26 °C produced males only. Both sexes occurred at 20 and 28 °C. The threshold temperatures (temperatures producing 50% males) were estimated to be 27.5 and 20.0 °C, and were similar to those reported for more southerly populations of C. picta. In both 1983 (a relatively warm summer) and 1984 (an average summer), temperatures in natural nests regularly fluctuated above and below both threshold temperatures. Mean nest temperatures were warmer in 1983 than in 1984, but were not useful to predict nest sex ratios. Mean nest temperatures were not similar to constant temperatures in their effect on sex ratio. Sex ratios in nests could be described best by the total number of hours for which the temperature at each nest was intermediate to the two threshold temperatures. Sex ratios (proportion male) of hatchlings in 1983 and 1984 were similar and female biased (0.12 and 0.13, respectively).

Effects of substrate water potential and fluctuating temperatures on sex ratios of hatchling painted turtles (Chrysemys picta)

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
pp. 1491-1494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary L. Paukstis ◽  
William H. N. Gutzke ◽  
Gary C. Packard
Keyword(s):  
Water Potential ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Chrysemys Picta ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Painted Turtles ◽  
Ecological Implications ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Gravid Females ◽  
Fluctuating Temperatures ◽  
Selection Of

Sex ratios of hatchling painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) are influenced by the hydric environment when eggs are exposed to fluctuating temperatures similar to those encountered in natural nests. When temperature varies between 18 and 30 °C over the course of a single day, nearly equal numbers of males and females hatch from eggs held on wet substrates, but, primarily, males emerge from eggs on dry substrates. The influence of the hydric environment on sex ratios of painted turtles developing in natural nests has important ecological implications, and may be a factor influencing both selection of nest sites by gravid females and sex ratios of hatchlings.

scholarly journals Measurement and modelling of primary sex ratios for species with temperature-dependent sex determination

2018 ◽  
Vol 222 (1) ◽  
pp. jeb190215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie D. Massey ◽  
Sarah M. Holt ◽  
Ronald J. Brooks ◽  
Njal Rollinson
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Temperature Dependent

scholarly journals Population viability at extreme sex-ratio skews produced by temperature-dependent sex determination

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1848) ◽  
pp. 20162576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme C. Hays ◽  
Antonios D. Mazaris ◽  
Gail Schofield ◽  
Jacques-Olivier Laloë
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
High Mortality ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Incubation Temperature ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Population Extinction ◽  
The World

For species with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) there is the fear that rising temperatures may lead to single-sex populations and population extinction. We show that for sea turtles, a major group exhibiting TSD, these concerns are currently unfounded but may become important under extreme climate warming scenarios. We show how highly female-biased sex ratios in developing eggs translate into much more balanced operational sex ratios so that adult male numbers in populations around the world are unlikely to be limiting. Rather than reducing population viability, female-biased offspring sex ratios may, to some extent, help population growth by increasing the number of breeding females and hence egg production. For rookeries across the world ( n = 75 sites for seven species), we show that extreme female-biased hatchling sex ratios do not compromise population size and are the norm, with a tendency for populations to maximize the number of female hatchlings. Only at extremely high incubation temperature does high mortality within developing clutches threaten sea turtles. Our work shows how TSD itself is a robust strategy up to a point, but eventually high mortality and female-only hatchling production will cause extinction if incubation conditions warm considerably in the future.

scholarly journals Does sex-ratio selection influence nest-site choice in a reptile with temperature-dependent sex determination?

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1772) ◽  
pp. 20132460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy S. Mitchell ◽  
Jessica A. Maciel ◽  
Fredric J. Janzen
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Sex Determination ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Dioecious Species ◽  
Offspring Sex Ratio ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
Offspring Sex ◽  
Nest Site Choice

Evolutionary theory predicts that dioecious species should produce a balanced primary sex ratio maintained by frequency-dependent selection. Organisms with environmental sex determination, however, are vulnerable to maladaptive sex ratios, because environmental conditions vary spatio-temporally. For reptiles with temperature-dependent sex determination, nest-site choice is a behavioural maternal effect that could respond to sex-ratio selection, as mothers could adjust offspring sex ratios by choosing nest sites that will have particular thermal properties. This theoretical prediction has generated decades of empirical research, yet convincing evidence that sex-ratio selection is influencing nesting behaviours remains absent. Here, we provide the first experimental evidence from nature that sex-ratio selection, rather than only viability selection, is probably an important component of nest-site choice in a reptile with temperature-dependent sex determination. We compare painted turtle ( Chrysemys picta ) neonates from maternally selected nest sites with those from randomly selected nest sites, observing no substantive difference in hatching success or survival, but finding a profound difference in offspring sex ratio in the direction expected based on historical records. Additionally, we leverage long-term data to reconstruct our sex ratio results had the experiment been repeated in multiple years. As predicted by theory, our results suggest that sex-ratio selection has shaped nesting behaviour in ways likely to enhance maternal fitness.

scholarly journals HATCHLING SEX RATIOS AND LOCOMOTOR PERFORMANCE OF MIDLAND PAINTED TURTLES (CHRYSEMYS PICTA MARGINATA)

2014 ◽  
pp. 3-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason T. Cotter ◽  
Chris A. Sheil
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratios ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Chrysemys Picta ◽  
Locomotor Performance ◽  
Righting Response ◽  
Painted Turtles ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Statistical Effect ◽  
Thermosensitive Period ◽  
Nesting Season

The primary objectives of this study were to understand how canopy cover and nest temperatures affect hatchling sex ratios and locomotor performance (i.e., swimming sprint speed and righting response) of Chrysemys picta marginata nests. Seventeen nests were monitored with temperature data-loggers during the 2009 nesting season and found to contain 100% male-biased clutches with a mean nest temperature range of 20.0–24.0°C during the thermosensitive period (TSP). The percentage of canopy cover over each nest was inversely and significantly correlated with mean nest temperatures experienced during the TSP. Mean nest temperatures (MNT) did not have a statistical effect on either measure of locomotor performance; however, there was an observed trend toward increased performance with increased MNT.

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