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The impacts of nest microenvironment on sea turtle hatchling performance and their responses to thermal stress

As climate change threatens with sea-level rise and more storms, increased erosion could increase the need for beach nourishment. Alterations to sand characteristics may result in changes to the sea turtle nest microenvironment, impacting the temperature and oxygen levels which may affect hatchling performance. In this study, leatherback, loggerhead, and green nests were sampled from two sites with different sand characteristics in Juno Beach, Florida, USA. Gas exchange was higher in green turtle nests with a greater mixture of sediment. Darker sediment elevated nest temperatures. Finer sediment and a greater mixture of sediment in leatherback nests elevated the nest temperatures; conversely finer sediment, and a greater mixture of sediment decreased loggerhead and green nest temperatures. Elevated nest temperatures reduced leatherback, loggerhead, and green turtle hatchling performance. Understanding the relationships between beach composition, nest environment, and hatchling performance will aid management decisions essential to sea turtle conservation. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_44453
ContributorsSeaman, Heather A. (author), Milton, Sarah (Thesis advisor), Florida Atlantic University (Degree grantor), Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
PublisherFlorida Atlantic University
Source SetsFlorida Atlantic University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation, Text
Format135 p., online resource
RightsCopyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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