Effects of the Microclimate in Natural Nests on Development of Embryonic Painted Turtles, Chrysemys Picta

Cagle, K. D.; Packard, Gary C.; Miller, Kirk; Packard, Mary J.

doi:10.2307/2390185

Cited by 115 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Previous research has found that eggs incubated on wet substrates yield larger hatchlings than eggs incubated on dry substrates (Packard and Packard 1986;Janzen et al 1990;Miller and Packard 1992). In painted turtles, this size difference is caused by a lengthening of development for the eggs incubated on wet substrates (Packard et al 1983;Cagle et al 1993). Interestingly, the smallest eggs with the fewest resources (i.e., second-clutch eggs from LNE females) contained proportionally more water than other eggs (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Age and Season Impact Resource Allocation to Eggs and Nesting Behavior in the Painted Turtle

Harms¹,

Paitz²,

Bowden³

et al. 2005

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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Theory predicts that in long-lived organisms females should invest less energy in reproduction and more in growth and selfmaintenance early in life, with this balance shifting as females age and the relative value of each reproductive event increases. We investigated this potential trade-off by characterizing within-population variation in resource allocation to eggs by female painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) and relating this variation to their nesting ecology and life history. We examined lipid and protein allocation to yolks, accounting for both relative female age and seasonal effects (first vs. second clutches within a female). Older females appear to increase their investment in reproduction by producing larger eggs, but these eggs are not disproportionately more lipid or protein rich than the smaller eggs from younger females. Within the nesting season, first clutches have more lipid and protein than second clutches. We also found that younger females nest closer to the water than older females. Our results indicate that trade-offs involving resource allocation and nesting behavior do occur both seasonally and with age, suggesting ontogenetic variation in life-history strategies in this long-lived organism Disciplines Behavior and Ethology | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Population Biology | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Comments This article is from ABSTRACTTheory predicts that in long-lived organisms females should invest less energy in reproduction and more in growth and selfmaintenance early in life, with this balance shifting as females age and the relative value of each reproductive event increases. We investigated this potential trade-off by characterizing within-population variation in resource allocation to eggs by female painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) and relating this variation to their nesting ecology and life history. We examined lipid and protein allocation to yolks, accounting for both relative female age and seasonal effects (first vs. second clutches within a female). Older females appear to increase their investment in reproduction by producing larger eggs, but these eggs are not disproportionately more lipid or protein rich than the smaller eggs from younger females. Within the nesting season, first clutches have more lipid and protein than second clutches. We also found that younger females nest closer to the water than older females. Our results indicate that trade-offs involving resource allocation and nesting behavior do occur both seasonally and with age, suggesting ontogenetic variation in life-history strategies in this long-lived organism.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Age and Season Impact Resource Allocation to Eggs and Nesting Behavior in the Painted Turtle

Harms¹,

Paitz²,

Bowden³

et al. 2005

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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“…Natural nests might experience different environmental conditions during both incubation and hibernation than those to which we exposed eggs and hatchlings in this experiment. However, we used substrate moistures and fluctuating temperatures like those encountered in natural nests (Packard et al 1985, Ratterman and Ackerman 1989, Cagle et al 1993, Plummer et al 1994, Weisrock and Janzen 1999. Experimental studies of naturally incubated and overwintered hatchlings would be useful to establish more firmly the ecological relevance of the present experiment.…”

Section: Size-dependent Selection: Possible Causesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, we estimated the strength and form of natural selection on hatchling body size, a trait largely determined by egg size at oviposition. We used hatchling turtles produced from eggs incubated in a seminatural common environment to eliminate the influence of among-nest environmental variation (e.g., Cagle et al 1993). Similar experimental approaches have proven to be exceptionally useful both in dissecting the evolution of life histories and in evaluating the causes of natural selection (e.g., Reznick et al 1990, Wade and Kalisz 1990, Sinervo and Licht 1991, Sinervo et al 1992, Janzen 1993a, Brodie et al 1995, Dudley 1996, Kingsolver 1996.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Analysis of an Early Life-History Stage: Selection on Size of Hatchling Turtles

Janzen

Tucker

Paukstis

2000

Ecology

123

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“…In addition to genetic variation and possible maternal effects, environmental factors, such as sand albedo (Hays et al 2001), shading and sun exposure (Standora & Spotila 1985), and moisture from rainfall (Godfrey et al 1996, Houghton et al 2007) may modify nest sex ratios. A number of studies suggest that the hydric environment, in combination with the thermal environment, influences embryonic development and phenotype, including sex in turtles (e.g., Packard et al 1987, Cagle et al 1993, Finkler 2006, LeBlanc & Wibbels 2009, Wyneken & Lolavar 2015. Moisture as rainfall may impact the nest environment, affecting hatchling size (McGehee 1990) and influencing hatchling sex (re viewed by Carthy et al 2003, Wibbels 2003.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of rainfall on loggerhead turtle nest temperatures, sand temperatures and hatchling sex

Lolavar¹,

Wyneken²

2015

Endang. Species. Res.

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Marine turtles deposit their eggs in underground nests where they develop unattended and without parental care. Incubation temperature varies with environmental conditions, including rainfall, sun/shade and sand type, and affects developmental rates, hatch and emergence success, and embryonic sex. We documented (1) rainfall and sand temperature relationships and (2) rainfall, nest temperatures and hatchling sex ratios at a loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nesting beach in Boca Raton, Florida, USA, across the 2010 to 2013 nesting seasons. Rainfall data collected concurrently with sand temperatures at different depths showed that light rainfall affected surface sand; effects of the heaviest rainfall events tended to lower sand temperatures but the temperature fluctuations were small once upper nest depths were reached. This is important in understanding the potential impacts of rainfall as a modifier of nest temperatures, as such changes can be quite small. Nest temperature profiles were synchronized with rainfall data from weather services to identify relationships with hatchling sex ratios. The sex of each turtle was verified laparoscopically to provide empirical measures of sex ratio for the nest and nesting beach. The majority of hatchlings in the samples were female, suggesting that across the 4 seasons most nest temperatures were not sufficiently cool to produce males. However, in the early portion of the nesting season and in wet years, nest temperatures were cooler, and significantly more males hatched.

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Effects of the Microclimate in Natural Nests on Development of Embryonic Painted Turtles, Chrysemys Picta

Cited by 115 publications

References 17 publications

Age and Season Impact Resource Allocation to Eggs and Nesting Behavior in the Painted Turtle

Age and Season Impact Resource Allocation to Eggs and Nesting Behavior in the Painted Turtle

Experimental Analysis of an Early Life-History Stage: Selection on Size of Hatchling Turtles

Effect of rainfall on loggerhead turtle nest temperatures, sand temperatures and hatchling sex

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