Meeting Abstract
P3.152 Tuesday, Jan. 6 Effect of fluctuating temperature on a turtle with temperature-dependent sex determination LEBLANC, A.M.*; WIBBELS, T.; Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham; Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham leblanc@uab.edu
A variety of previous studies have characterized the effects of incubation temperature on reptiles with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). However, the majority of those studies utilized constant temperatures in laboratory incubators. It has been suggested that data from constant temperature studies may not be a good predictor of sex ratios for natural nests that experience fluctuating temperatures. This has significant implications regarding the biology and conservation of reptiles with TSD. The current study has addressed this issue in the red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta, a turtle with TSD. Laboratory incubators were used to generate specific daily temperature fluctuations of 2, 3, or 4oC around the same mean temperature of 28.2oC. The sex ratios produced in the fluctuating temperature experiments were not significantly different from sex ratios of control groups produced at constant incubation temperatures of 28.2oC (p>0.05). Although temperatures fluctuated well into all-male and all-female producing temperature ranges, significant skewing of the sex ratios was not observed. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that mean incubation temperature may be an accurate predictor of sex ratio. These results have implications for studies addressing the physiological basis of TSD, as well as for conservation programs attempting to predict sex ratios based on incubation temperatures.
