Meeting Abstract
Temperatures has been shown to have an effect on physiological functions of ectotherms. For example, different temperature regimes can affect growth rates as they can cause ectotherms to absorb the caloric energy of food at different rates. Growth rates can affect size and age at sexual maturity. Long term effects of climate change on adult size are unknown. Since most tortoise habitat has become fragmented, tortoises cannot move in response to environmental change. How tortoises will respond to temperature both behaviorally and physiologically is unknown. This study looks at the Gopher tortoise, a large herbivorous ectotherm under different temperature regimes to determine the effects temperature has on hatchling growth rate. Hatchlings were collected from wild nests at George L. Smith State Park and Fort Stewart Army Reserve in southeast Georgia. Hatchlings will be raised in controlled environments to avoid variances caused by environmental differences. Growth rates and metabolic rates will be monitored monthly. Previous studies conducted with tortoise hatchlings have shown similar growth rates between these two sites and that different diets can affect growth rates. Studying temperature effects on hatchling growth rates will add to the volume of work that has been done specifically on these animals and can help shed light on the possible effects of climate change on these as well as other large herbivorous ectotherms in the future.
