Tropical cyclones and reproductive ecology of<i>Crocodylus acutus</i>Cuvier, 1807 (Reptilia: Crocodilia: Crocodylidae) on a Caribbean atoll in Mexico

Charruau, Pierre; Thorbjarnarson, John B.; Hénaut, Yann

doi:10.1080/00222930903490993

Cited by 35 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Otherwise, mean depth to top of the clutch, distance to water, and egg width in Coiba were lower than Banco Chinchorro (17.7 ± 5.5 cm; 1,990 ± 810 cm; 43.3 ± 1.6 mm; Charruau et al, 2010), Belize (23.3 ± 6.3 cm; distance to water unknown; 44.1 ± 1.6 mm; Platt and Thorbjarnarson, 2000b), and Haiti (no depth to top; 2,750 ± 1,180 m; egg width unknown; Thorbjarnarson, 1988). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…Mean egg mass, depth to the bottom of the clutch, width of nest, and egg length in Coiba Island crocodiles (Table 2) were higher than in Belize (85.6 ± 9.7 g; 32.8 ± 0.4 cm; 26.0 ± 0.6 cm; 70.5 ± 0.3 mm; Platt and Thorbjarnarson, 2000b) and Banco Chinchorro Atoll (80.0 ± 7.2 g; 32.8 ± 0.6 cm; 24.0 ± 0.6 cm; 69.3 ± 0.4 mm; Charruau et al, 2010;see Table 4). Otherwise, mean depth to top of the clutch, distance to water, and egg width in Coiba were lower than Banco Chinchorro (17.7 ± 5.5 cm; 1,990 ± 810 cm; 43.3 ± 1.6 mm; Charruau et al, 2010), Belize (23.3 ± 6.3 cm; distance to water unknown; 44.1 ± 1.6 mm; Platt and Thorbjarnarson, 2000b), and Haiti (no depth to top; 2,750 ± 1,180 m; egg width unknown; Thorbjarnarson, 1988).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…In contrast to the lack of information from the Pacific, information about nesting and reproductive ecology in the Caribbean has been obtained in coastal habitats (Ogden, 1978;Mazzotti, 1983;Platt and Thorbjarnarson, 2000b), atolls (Charruau et al, 2010;Platt and Thorbjarnarson, 2000b), some islands (Varona, 1980;Medem, 1981;Thorbjarnarson, 1988Thorbjarnarson, , 1989, and at mainland sites (Medem, 1981;Espinal and Escobedo-Galván, 2010; see Table 4). Comparing our results with these studies, the mean clutch size on Coiba (25.2 ± 9.5 eggs) was not significantly different (one-sample t-test, P = 0.18) from those reported from mainland Panama (46 eggs, Breder, 1946), Mexico, Banco Chinchorro (16.2 ± 4.6 eggs, Charruau et al, 2010), Belize (22.3 ± 6.0 eggs, Platt and Thorbjarnarson, 2000b), Haiti (22.5 ± 2.7 eggs, Thorbjarnarson, 1989), Florida, USA (45.2 ± 17.2 eggs, Ogden, 1978; 38.0 ± 0.4 eggs, Kushlan and Mazzotti, 1989), or in two Colombian populations (mainland 40-60 eggs, Fuerte Island 18-20 eggs; Medem, 1981; Table 4). However, we observed that the mean clutch size of insular populations on Fuerte Island .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, the MRS for mainland males and females is known from American crocodiles in Colombia (a captive male of 219 cm TL mated with a female of 236 cm TL; Medem, 1981) and Florida, USA (estimated to be 225 cm TL for females; Mazzotti, 1983). The MRS is known for island crocodile populations in Haiti (Etang Saumatre, females begin nesting at around 220-230 cm TL; Thorbjarnarson, 1988), Mexico (Banco Chinchorro, 194 cm TL female; Charruau et al, 2010), and Belize (Turneffe Island, ≤ 200 cm; Platt and Thorbjarnarson, 2000b), which have the smallest MRS. Other reports of female American crocodile MRS on the mainland are from Honduras (240 cm TL: Klein, 1977), Cuba (270-300 cm; Varona, 1980), and Mexico (280 cm; Alvarez del Toro, 1974; Table 4). The female MRS recorded on Coiba was 209 cm, which is comparable to the female MRS reported from other insular populations in the Caribbean.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The female MRS recorded on Coiba was 209 cm, which is comparable to the female MRS reported from other insular populations in the Caribbean. This is likely to be due to genetic, environmental, or behavior factors (Thorbjarnarson, 1988;Platt and Thorbjarnarson, 2000b;Charruau et al, 2010). Additional pressures that have been suggested to lead to smaller female insular MRS include lack of resources (food, space, freshwater, etc.)…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproductive Ecology and Hatchling Growth Rates of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) on Coiba Island, Panama

Balaguera-Reina

Venegas‐Anaya

Sanjur

et al. 2015

South American Journal of Herpetology

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Reproductive Ecology and Hatchling Growth Rates of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) on Coiba Island, Panama

Balaguera-Reina

Venegas‐Anaya

Sanjur

et al. 2015

South American Journal of Herpetology

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Unanticipated effect of climate change on an aquatic top predator of the Atlantic rainforest

Herrera

Solari

Lucifora

2014

Aquatic Conservation

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ABSTRACT1. From a biodiversity conservation viewpoint it is crucial to estimate the sensitivity of species and populations to climate change, especially of key species such as top predators.2. Here, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon (ENSO) was used as a natural experiment to estimate the sensitivity of a population of the rainforest-dwelling broad-snouted caiman, Caiman latirostris, to extreme floods.3. Caiman abundance declined by 35% annually between 1996 and 1998, and then increased, without reaching 1996 levels, indicating a marked effect of the 1997 El Niño. Accordingly, the Southern Oscillation Index was positively correlated with caiman abundance, indicating lower caiman abundance with warm ENSO events.4. The relationship between the relative annual mean abundance of caimans and the maximum daily annual discharge of the Iguazú River was analysed. This relationship was parabolic, with caiman abundance increasing at discharges from 500 to 1500 m 3 s -1 and then decreasing at discharges from 1500 to 2500 m 3 s -1 , indicating an adverse effect of both extreme low and high river discharge. No effect of illegal hunting was measurable. 5. This study evaluated whether the negative effect of extremely high water levels on caiman abundance could be due to a decrease in the availability of the habitat more commonly used by small (<60 cm total length, TL) and medium (60-120 cm TL) caimans. Small and medium-sized caimans used herbaceous/shrub habitats more frequently than large caimans (>120 cm TL), i.e. the type of habitat flooded during extreme floods.6. An increase in extreme floods, as forecast for the Atlantic rainforest owing to climate change, may seriously affect the population of rainforest caimans through the reduction of adequate habitat for juveniles. This counterintuitive result, in which an excess of water reduces the abundance of an aquatic top predator, should be considered in conservation plans of rainforest-dwelling crocodilians.

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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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Tropical cyclones and reproductive ecology ofCrocodylus acutusCuvier, 1807 (Reptilia: Crocodilia: Crocodylidae) on a Caribbean atoll in Mexico

Cited by 35 publications

References 32 publications

Reproductive Ecology and Hatchling Growth Rates of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) on Coiba Island, Panama

Reproductive Ecology and Hatchling Growth Rates of the American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) on Coiba Island, Panama

Unanticipated effect of climate change on an aquatic top predator of the Atlantic rainforest

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

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