Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-71). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-60). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - James Cook University, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy) Bibliography: p. 111-126.

Thesis (M.S.)--Georgia Southern University, 2007. / "A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science." In Biology, under the direction of David Rostal. ETD. Electronic version approved: December 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-59) and appendices.

Thesis (M.S.)--Georgia Southern University, 2004. / ETD. "A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science." Includes bibliographical references.

Hatchling loggerhead turtles emerge from subsurface nests on the beach at night, crawl down the beach and enter the sea. Recently, increases in a floating algae (Sargassum) has been reported in the mid-Atlantic and the Caribbean, resulting in large algal wrack on Florida beaches. The purpose of my study was to determine if these accumulations acted as a barrier, preventing hatchlings from completing their crawl to the sea. To address this issue I recorded seasonal changes in Sargassum density and directly observed when, and under what circumstances, hatchlings could cross the wrack. There was a significant overlap between when Sargassum accumulation peaked and when the turtles emerged, with the result that hatchling recruitment was significantly reduced (by~22%) during the 2020 nesting season. I conclude that algal accumulations represent a significant threat that may impede the recovery of loggerhead populations, that are currently threatened or endangered worldwide. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Clutches of eggs wore collected from nesting loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta caretta) on Merritt Island, Florida, during June - August 1977. Of these, 46 clutches were selected for experimentation to determine the extent to which certain factors affect hatching success. Twelve clutches were divided into subsamples which were incubated in sand maintained at 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% moisture. Another twelve clutches were divided into subsamples and incubated in sand kept moist with the following percentages of seawater: 0 (distilled water), 25, 50, 75, and 100%; subsamples from four other clutches were subjected to the effects of one tidal inundation. Eggs from four of the clutches used in the moisture and salinity experiments were monitored for changes in size. Fifteen clutches were divided into subsamples which were kept in incubators maintained at 20, 24, 27, 30, 32, 35, and 38°C; subsamples from seven of these clutches were moved from unfavorable to optimal temperatures to study their ability to recover from stress. Three clutches were selected for an experiment to determine the effects of handling on hatching success; the following year, another five clutches were used for similar studies. Some of the hatchling turtles produced in this project were abnormal, and these were discussed in depth. From the experiments, it was determined that 25% moisture, 0-25% seawater, and 27°C produced the maximum percent hatch. The effects of handling on hatching success depended variably on the time and manner of handling. The optimum values indicated in the experiments closely approximated values for moisture, salinity, and temperature obtained from natural turtle nests on the beach.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--College of William and Mary. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-122).

The goal of this study was to determine if hatching synchrony occurs in loggerhead sea turtle nests and if it does, what mechanism(s) promote that synchrony. Synchrony may occur because oviposition takes place during a single evening, and because incubation temperatures within the nest show relatively little variation; thus, rates of embryonic development among the eggs are similar ("temporal synchrony hypothesis"). Alternatively, synchrony might be enhanced through embryo-to-embryo communication that stimulates and synchronizes development ("coordinated hatching hypothesis"). Experiments were designed to distinguish between these two hypotheses. I found that if only a few embryos survive, temporal synchrony occurs. However, if many embryos survive, the duration of incubation and hatching shortens, presumably because embryonic movements inside soft-shelled eggs are detected by and transmitted between eggs and stimulate development, expediting hatching synchrony. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Under the expected warmer temperatures due to climate change, sea turtle embryos may be subjected to thermal conditions detrimental to nest success and hatchling quality; one trait which may be negatively affected is cognitive ability. In this study, loggerhead sea turtle eggs were acquired from Boca Raton, FL and lab incubated under two female-producing temperatures: an “optimal” temperature of 31°C and a sublethal temperature of 33°C. Cognitive ability of post-hatchlings, assessed via associative learning and reversal was investigated using a y-maze. The sublethal temperature decreased incubation duration, hatch success, hatchling growth rates and produced smaller hatchlings with significantly more scute anomalies. Hot hatchlings performed worse on the reversal, taking longer to train, and thus hint at an effect of incubation temperature on cognitive flexibility in loggerhead turtles. With temperatures rising on beaches in South Florida, this study provides evidence of further potential threats to hatchling quality and potentially even survival. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection