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Citation
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HERO ID
6552772
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
The maternal legacy: Female identity predicts offspring sex ratio in the loggerhead sea turtle
Author(s)
Reneker, JL; Kamel, SJ
Year
2016
Is Peer Reviewed?
1
Journal
Scientific Reports
EISSN:
2045-2322
Volume
6
Page Numbers
29237
Language
English
PMID
27363786
DOI
10.1038/srep29237
Web of Science Id
WOS:000378851000001
Abstract
In organisms with temperature-dependent sex determination, the incubation environment plays a key role in determining offspring sex ratios. Given that global temperatures have warmed approximately 0.6 °C in the last century, it is necessary to consider how organisms will adjust to climate change. To better understand the degree to which mothers influence the sex ratios of their offspring, we use 24 years of nesting data for individual female loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) observed on Bald Head Island, North Carolina. We find that maternal identity is the best predictor of nest sex ratio in univariate and multivariate predictive models. We find significant variability in estimated nest sex ratios among mothers, but a high degree of consistency within mothers, despite substantial spatial and temporal thermal variation. Our results suggest that individual differences in nesting preferences are the main driver behind divergences in nest sex ratios. As such, a female's ability to plastically adjust her nest sex ratios in response to environmental conditions is constrained, potentially limiting how individuals behaviorally mitigate the effects of environmental change. Given that many loggerhead populations already show female-biased offspring sex ratios, understanding maternal behavioral responses is critical for predicting the future of long-lived species vulnerable to extinction.
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