Morgan (UR) - Warming Warning over Turtle Feminization

Did you know u to 93% of green turtle hatchlings could be female by 2100?

Sex of turtles are determined by Temperature. 

Hatching temperatures falling between 75.2 degrees Fahrenheit to 93.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures below 85.1 degrees tend to make more male turtles and temperatures above that mark typically make more female turtles.

Green sea turtles do not develop into males or females due to sex chromosomes, like humans and most other mammals do. Instead, the temperature outside a turtle egg influences the sex of the growing embryo. And this unusual biological quirk, scientists say, endangers their future in a warmer world.

A study by the University of Exeter and the Marine and Environmental Sciences shows that in warmer temperatures predicted on Climate Change, 76%-93% of hatchlings would be female. They show the gender ratio would initially lead to more females nesting, increasing the population - before the drastic decline in green turtle hatchlings "as incubation temperatures approach lethal levels"

They also predict rising sea levels will deluge 33-43% of present nesting areas.

"Green turtles are facing trouble in the future due to loss of habitats and increasing temperatures. As temperatures continue to rise, it may become impossible for unhatched turtles to survive." - Dr Rita Patricio.

I plan to study this more with the help of my classmate Jessica and find out more about why this is happening, how fast this is happening, where this is happening and found out ways to prevent feminization in Marine turtles.

References:

University of Exeter. (2018, December 19). Warming warning over turtle feminization. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 5, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/12/181219191044.htm

Florida State University. (2016, February 4). Bachelor's paradise: Female turtles outnumbering males due to warming temps: Climate change posing long-term stability challenges for turtles. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 1, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160204111634.htm