The influence of incubation temperature on post-hatching fitness characteristics of turtles

Booth, David T.; Burgess, Elizabeth A.; McCosker, J.E; Lanyon, Janet M.

doi:10.1016/j.ics.2004.08.057

Cited by 126 publications

(136 citation statements)

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“…The dry mass of residual yolk of hatchling green turtles incubated at 28 and 30°C averages 1.5 g (Booth et al, 2004) and has an energy density of 32.5 kJ g -1 (D.T.B., unpublished data) so the residual yolk would contain about 49 kJ of energy. Only about 4.8 kJ of energy was expended during the first 18 h of swimming (corresponding to 6.4 kJ day -1 , but during the sustained effort phase energy expenditure was 4.7 kJ day -1 ), so it would appear that a hatchling could survive at least 10 days of continuous swimming without the need to feed.…”

Section: Energetics Of Swimmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a study that measured oxygen consumption (V O2 ) of hatchling sea turtles during and after the frenzy, V O2 during the frenzy period was found to be considerably greater than in the post-frenzy period (Wyneken, 1991;Wyneken, 1997). However, given the fact that swimming effort during the frenzy period declines considerably as time proceeds (Wyneken, 1997;Booth et al, 2004;Burgess et al, 2006), it is unlikely that V O2 would remain constant during the frenzy period. In this study I measured both the swimming effort and the V O2 of newly emerged green turtle hatchlings simultaneously and continuously during their first 18 h of swimming in order to test the hypothesis that rates of oxygen consumption should correlate with swimming effort during this vital period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Swimming for your life: locomotor effort and oxygen consumption during the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchling frenzy

Booth

2009

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Swimming effort and oxygen consumption of newly emerged green turtle Chelonia mydas hatchlings was measured simultaneously and continuously for the first 18 h of swimming after hatchlings entered the water. Oxygen consumption was tightly correlated to swimming effort during the first 12 h of swimming indicating that swimming is powered predominantly by aerobic metabolism. The patterns of swimming effort and oxygen consumption could be divided into three distinct phases: (1) the rapid fatigue phase from 0 to 2 h when the mean swim thrust decreased from 45 to 30 mN and oxygen consumption decreased from 33 to 18 ml h–1; (2) the slow fatigue phase from 2 to 12 h when the mean swim thrust decreased from 30 to 22 mN and oxygen consumption decreased from 18 to 10 ml h–1; and(3) the sustained effort phase from 12 to 18 h when mean swim thrust averaged 22 mN and oxygen consumption averaged 10 ml h–1. The decrease in mean swim thrust was caused by a combination of a decrease in front flipper stroke rate during a power stroking bout, a decrease in mean maximum thrust during a power stroking bout and a decrease in the proportion of time spent power stroking. Hence hatchlings maximise their swimming thrust as soon as they enter the water, a time when a fast swimming speed will maximise the chance of surviving the gauntlet of predators inhabiting the shallow fringing reef before reaching the relative safety of deeper water.

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Section: Energetics Of Swimmingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Swimming for your life: locomotor effort and oxygen consumption during the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchling frenzy

Booth

2009

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Each species appears to have developed a different swimming strategy in response to predator pressure in shallow near-shore waters (Chung et al, 2009a;Chung et al, 2009b;Salmon et al, 2009). Hatchings of green turtles, loggerhead turtles and leatherback turtles engage in a frenzy swim as they enter the sea in order to minimize the time spent in shallow water and thus decrease the chance of encountering predators (Gyuris, 1994;Gyuris, 2000;Booth et al, 2004;Whelan and Wyneken, 2007;Salmon et al, 2009). Hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata (Linnaeus 1766) hatchlings, however, appear to use a different strategy in which they may hide in flotsam or remain inactive to minimize detection by predators during the first few days of off-shore dispersion (Chung et al, 2009a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Locomotor activity during the frenzy swim: analysing early swimming behaviour in hatchling sea turtles

Pereira

Booth

Limpus

2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYSwimming effort of hatchling sea turtles varies across species. In this study we analysed how swim thrust is produced in terms of power stroke rate, mean maximum thrust per power stroke and percentage of time spent power stroking throughout the first 18h of swimming after entering the water, in both loggerhead and flatback turtle hatchlings and compared this with previous data from green turtle hatchlings. Loggerhead and green turtle hatchlings had similar power stroke rates and percentage of time spent power stroking throughout the trial, although mean maximum thrust was always significantly higher in green hatchlings, making them the most vigorous swimmers in our three-species comparison. Flatback hatchlings, however, were different from the other two species, with overall lower values in all three swimming variables. Their swimming effort dropped significantly during the first 2h and kept decreasing significantly until the end of the trial at 18h. These results support the hypothesis that ecological factors mould the swimming behaviour of hatchling sea turtles, with predator pressure being important in determining the strategy used to swim offshore. Loggerhead and green turtle hatchlings seem to adopt an intensely vigorous and energetically costly frenzy swim that would quickly take them offshore into the open ocean in order to reduce their exposure to near-shore aquatic predators. Flatback hatchlings, however, are restricted in geographic distribution and remain within the continental shelf region where predator pressure is probably relatively constant. For this reason, flatback hatchlings might use only part of their energy reserves during a less vigorous frenzy phase, with lower overall energy expenditure during the first day compared with loggerhead and green turtle hatchlings.

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“…Glen et al (2003) investigated the influence of incubation temperature on the morphology of Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas (L., 1758); Cheloniidae) hatchlings and found a negative correlation between incubation temperature and hatchling size, as higher incubation temperatures produced smaller hatchlings. Booth et al (2004) also found that Green Tturtle hatchlings from higher incubation temperatures were smaller than hatchlings from lower incubation temperatures. Burgess et al (2006) applied PCA to morphology measurement data from Green Turtle hatchlings and observed a significant negative correlation between incubation temperature and hatchling size-index scores.…”

Section: Influence Of Incubation Temperature On Hatchling Morphologymentioning

confidence: 84%

Influence of incubation temperature on morphology and locomotion performance of Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) hatchlings

Mickelson

Downie

2010

Can. J. Zool.

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Abstract:The journey of Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea (Vandelli, 1761)) hatchlings from nest to the sea is a vulnerable life-history stage. Studies have shown that nest incubation temperatures influence hatchling morphology and locomotor performance, which may affect hatchling fitness. We obtained incubation temperature profiles from 16 Leatherback nests in Tobago, West Indies, during the 2008 nesting season (March-June). There was significant variation among mean nest incubation temperatures, which had a significant influence on hatchling morphology. Using principal components analysis, we determined the morphological traits that explained the most variation among hatchlings, which allowed investigation of the relationship between hatchling morphology and terrestrial locomotion speed. Hatchlings with a narrower carapace width and longer flipper reach (produced at lower incubation temperatures) had significantly faster terrestrial speed and total run time than those with opposite characteristics (produced at higher incubation temperatures). Our results demonstrate that lower incubation temperatures produce hatchlings with traits that are significantly advantageous to terrestrial locomotion. These findings suggest that nest incubation temperature is important in determining hatchling fitness, as nest incubation temperature significantly influences hatchling morphology and locomotor capabilities. This study supplements related findings in Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas (L., 1758)), but also illustrates some unique features in Leatherbacks. (Vandelli, 1761)) nouveau-nées de leur nid à la mer constitue une étape vulnérable de leur cycle biologique. Des études ont démontré que la température d'incubation des nids influence la morphologie et la performance locomotrice des nouveau-nés, ce qui peut affecter la fitness de ces nouveaunés. Nous avons obtenu les profils des températures d'incubation de 16 nids de tortues-luths à Tobago, Antilles, durant la saison de nidification de 2008 (mars-juin). Il y a une variation significative entre les températures moyennes d'incubation au nid, qui a une influence significative sur la morphologie des nouveau-nés. Une analyse des composantes principales nous a servi à déterminer quels traits morphologiques expliquent le maximum de variation entre les nouveau-nés, ce qui nous a permis d'étudier la relation entre la morphologie des nouveau-nés et leur vitesse de déplacement au sol. Les nouveau-nés possédant une carapace plus étroite et une portée plus grande des nageoires (produits aux températures d'incubation plus basses) ont une vitesse au sol plus rapide et une « durée totale du trajet » plus courte que ceux qui ont les caractéristiques opposées (produits aux températures d'incubation plus élevées). Nos résultats démontrent que les tempéra-tures d'incubation plus basses produisent des nouveau-nés qui possèdent des traits qui favorisent significativement la locomotion terrestre. Ces observations indiquent que la température d'incubation au nid est importante pour la détermination...

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The influence of incubation temperature on post-hatching fitness characteristics of turtles

Cited by 126 publications

References 13 publications

Swimming for your life: locomotor effort and oxygen consumption during the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchling frenzy

Swimming for your life: locomotor effort and oxygen consumption during the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) hatchling frenzy

Locomotor activity during the frenzy swim: analysing early swimming behaviour in hatchling sea turtles

Influence of incubation temperature on morphology and locomotion performance of Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) hatchlings

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