Meeting Abstract
P2.18 Sunday, Jan. 5 15:30 Ecological niches as underlying mechanisms of L. olivacea female alternative reproductive tactics WEDEMEYER, KR*; BERNARDO, J; PLOTKIN, PT; Texas A and M University kwedemeyer@bio.tamu.edu
Alternative reproductive tactics are well studied in males, but poorly known in females. An important but understudied question is: What selection pressures cause divergent female behavior and/or morphology? We hypothesize that Lepidochelys olivacea (olive ridley sea turtles) female alternative reproductive tactics (solitary vs. mass-nesting behaviors) relate to an ecological dimorphism – differential foraging strategies (neritic vs. pelagic). We are investigating this idea using morphometrics, stable isotopes and satellite tracking.
