Effects of Incubation Temperature on the Size of Caiman Latirostris (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae) at Hatching and after One Year

Piña, Carlos Ignácio; Larriera, Alejandro; Medina, Marlín; Webb, Grahame J. W.

doi:10.1670/0022-1511(2007)41[205:eoitot]2.0.co;2

Cited by 30 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In contrast to most vertebrates in which offspring fitness is determined solely by parental investment (Bernardo, 1996), in crocodilians incubation temperatures affect a suite of hatchling attributes in addition to sex (Deeming & Ferguson, 1989), leading Thorbjarnarson (1994) to suggest that factors associated with environmental sex determination act to uncouple the relationship between egg size and neonatal fitness. However, Piña et al (2007) noted clutch‐specific effects in the size of hatchling C. latirostris incubated at different temperatures, and Allsteadt & Lang (1995) found strong clutch effects and significant temperature‐by‐clutch interactions on most hatchling parameters in A. mississippiensis . Collectively, these results indicate that genetic and/or maternal effects, in addition to incubation temperatures, are likely important determinants of neonatal fitness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Reproductive dynamics of a tropical freshwater crocodilian: Morelet's crocodile in northern Belize

et al. 2008

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Morelet's crocodile Crocodylus moreletii has not been well-studied and many aspects of its life history are unknown. In particular there is a notable paucity of information on nesting and reproductive ecology. We studied the nesting ecology of Morelet's crocodile in northern Belize from 1992 through 1995. Nesting occurs at the onset of the wet season in mid-June and continues through mid-July (mean oviposition date = 1 July AE 10 days). Eggs hatch from mid-August through midto late September. Nesting effort at our primary study site remained relatively constant during 1992, 1993 and 1995, but nearly doubled in 1994; this appeared to reflect a regional trend. Natural and man-made islands are heavily used as nesting sites. Nesting success in 1993 and 1994 was consistently higher on natural islands when compared with man-made islands or shoreline sites. Nest losses were primarily due to flooding and raccoon Procyon lotor predation. Losses from predation were greatest in 1994 when unseasonably low water levels facilitated predator access to nests. Females probably reach sexual maturity in 7-8 years after attaining a total length of 150 cm. Mean clutch size (25.0 AE 7.6; range =9-42; n = 73) did not differ among years. Mean clutch size, egg width (EW), egg length, egg mass (EM) and clutch mass were positively correlated with female snout-vent length (SVL). Mean EW was the best predictor of female SVL. A partial correlation analysis of egg and clutch attributes found that independent of female SVL, EM increases with increasing clutch size.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Reproductive dynamics of a tropical freshwater crocodilian: Morelet's crocodile in northern Belize

et al. 2008

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“…In addition to its role in sex determination, incubation temperature also influences the duration of the incubation period, size of hatchlings and hatchling survivorship (Deeming, b; Piña, Larriera, et al, ) among other aspects. In agreement with previous reports on C .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Incubation temperature drives sex determination in several egg‐laying reptile species, including lizards, turtles, and crocodilians (Valenzuela & Lance, ). More specifically in crocodilians, the effect of constant temperatures on sexual determination has been extensively studied (Bull, , ; Deeming, a; Ewert, Etchberger, & Nelson, ; Harlow, ; Lang & Andrews, ; McCoy, Parrott, Rainwater, Wilkinson, & Guillette, ; Nelson, Cree, Thompson, Keall, & Daugherty, ; Parachú Marcó, Leiva, Iungman, Simoncini, & Piña, ; Pezaro, Doody, & Thompson, ; Piña, Larriera, & Cabrera, ; Piña, Larriera, Medina, & Webb, ). However, the effects of thermal fluctuations on the hatchlings sex ratio, phenotypes, and even on fitness have not been explored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of temperature variation on incubation period, hatching success, sex ratio, and phenotypes in Caiman latirostris

et al. 2019

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Temperature is crucial for reptiles, also during embryonic development, particularly for species with temperature‐dependent sex determination. Under natural conditions, Broad‐snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) eggs are influenced by thermal changes in the interior of the nest related to the external environmental temperature. As nests are subject to variations in temperature and most lab studies on crocodilian incubation have been carried out at constant temperatures, we were interested in determining how temperature fluctuations may affect the development of caiman embryos. We investigated the effects of incubation at constant temperatures (31°C, 32°C, and 33°C) and fluctuating temperatures (31 ± 2, 32 ± 1, and 32 ± 2°C) on the following aspects: incubation period duration, hatching success, sex ratio, total length, and body mass of C. latirostris hatchlings. Eggs incubated at 31°C produced 100% females, those at 32°C produced 71.6% females (however, the sex ratio was nest related), and at 33°C produced 100% males. We found a masculinizing effect when incubation was at 31 ± 2°C compared with a constant 31°C; and temperature fluctuations at 32°C (32 ± 1 and 32 ± 2°C) had a negative effect on hatchlings size and mass, and hatching success compared with constant incubation temperatures of 32°C and 33°C. Finally, the effect of temperature variation during the incubation period on sex ratio, hatching success, and phenotype depends on the mean temperature, as the fluctuation around 31°C affected the sex ratios and incubation period, and the fluctuation around 32°C affected hatchling success and size.

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“…In species whose differentiation depends, to a greater extent, on environmental conditions in which eggs are incubated, staging and ageing become particularly important. In fact, temperature has several effects on reptilian embryo differentiation, including development rate (Webb et al, 1987a;Whitehead et al, 1990), incubation time (Lang and Andrews, 1994;Piña et al, 2003), hatching success and sex of the hatchlings (Piña et al, 2003), and survivorship and differential growth of the animals (Joanen et al, 1987;Piña et al, 2003Piña et al, , 2007.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embryological development of Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae)

Iungman

Piña

Siroski

2008

Genesis

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A standard development embryological series is the primary basis to organize information of any embryological study and is also used to determine the age of eggs and embryos in field conditions. In this article, we calibrate developmental series of the broad-snouted caiman, Caiman latirostris, against an established series for Alligator mississippiensis. Morphometric measures and extend of the opaque-shell banding were also related to embryo age. In earlier stages, external morphological features alone can account for embryo age, but we suggest that morphometric measurements should be introduced later in the development. Unlike morphologic and morphometric attributes, the opaque patch was not a useful age predictor. As expected, a close correlation between embryonic development of C. latirostris and A. mississippiensis was observed.

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Effects of Incubation Temperature on the Size of Caiman Latirostris (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae) at Hatching and after One Year

Cited by 30 publications

References 33 publications

Reproductive dynamics of a tropical freshwater crocodilian: Morelet's crocodile in northern Belize

Reproductive dynamics of a tropical freshwater crocodilian: Morelet's crocodile in northern Belize

Influence of temperature variation on incubation period, hatching success, sex ratio, and phenotypes in Caiman latirostris

Embryological development of Caiman latirostris (Crocodylia: Alligatoridae)

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