Meeting Abstract
Juvenile organisms may be faced with conflicting decisions regarding behaviors that promote their growth, development, and survival. In ectothermic animals, juveniles may be expected to seek habitats that allow them to maintain preferred body temperatures which could reflect temperatures optimal for foraging, growth, or digestion. However, these areas may not provide cover from predators. Juvenile turtles could face high mortality due to their small body sizes and undeveloped shells that only provide a small amount of protection. Little is known about juvenile turtle behavior and physiology, therefore the outcome of a potential trade-off between thermoregulating and avoiding predation risk is unknown. In this study, we determined the preferred body temperature of hatchling turtles placed in a thermal gradient. We then tested juveniles in an experiment that offered individuals a choice between thermoregulating or remaining in protective cover. Our data suggest that hatchling turtles prefer staying in areas providing shelter over open areas that allow them to thermoregulate near their preferred temperature. Turtles are long-lived animals, and so for young individuals promoting survival may be more critical than regulating body temperatures. These results begin to address the decisions that a long-lived organism may make as a juvenile when faced with trade-offs between maximizing growth and maximizing survival.
