Why 99% Of Sea Turtle Babies Are Now Born Female, According To Biologists
The number of sea turtles has been going down for a long time, and climate change is making the problem worse.
Author:Suleman ShahReviewer:Han JuMay 29, 202315.2K Shares305.5K Views
Because of global warming, almost all sea turtlesare now being born female, which is a big problem.
The number of sea turtles has been going down for a long time, and climate changeis making the problem worse.
Climate Change Disturbing Sea Turtles
Florida's sea turtles face a unique dilemma exacerbated by climate change: recent heat waves have caused the sand on certain beaches to become so hot that virtually every turtle born was female.
“„What's scary is that the previous four summers in Florida have been the warmest summers on record,
said Bette Zirkelbach, manager of the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, a community in the Florida Keys, a chain of tropical islands running from the state's southernmost tip.
“„"For the last four years, scientists researching sea turtlehatchlings and eggs have found no boy sea turtles, thus just female sea turtles,
said Zirkelbach, whose turtle facility has been in operation since 1986.
This is only one of many indications that the climate crisis is interfering with the Earth's natural ecosystems, progressing too quickly for many species to adapt.
The temperature of the sand affects the sex of the hatchlings when a female turtle constructs a nest on a beach. According to Zirkelbach, Australian research found that
“„9% of new sea turtle babies are female.
At the Turtle Hospital, a loggerhead turtle swims.
According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the sex of sea turtles and alligators is determined by the temperature of developing eggs rather than during fertilization (NOAA).
How Did Climate Change Affected Male To Female Ratio?
According to NOAA's National Ocean Service website, turtle hatchlings will be male if their eggs incubate below 81.86 Fahrenheit (27.7 Celsius), and female if they incubate beyond 88.8 Fahrenheit (31 Celsius).
"You're going to witness a rapid reduction in their number over time because we simply don't have the genetic variety," said Melissa Rosales Rodriguez, a sea turtle keeper at the Miami Zoo's newly established turtle hospital. "We don't have the male-to-female ratio required to conduct effective breeding sessions."
The two turtle hospitals are also tackling fibropapillomatosis, often known as FP, in turtles. These tumors are communicable to other turtles and, if not treated, may be fatal.
Great Barrier Reef Sea Turtles
According to data published in the journal Current Biology in 2018, 99.8 percent of green sea turtles in the Great Barrier Reef are female. For the somewhat older generation of sea turtles, this was the case. However, a somewhat younger group had around 99.1% female turtles.
Camryn Allen of the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, co-author of the paper, said, "It was unexpected and we had no idea." We did not anticipate it to be that severe.
Researchers from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other universities evaluated more than 400 sea turtles.
The disadvantage of this extraordinarily lopsided gender split in the species is that it might lead to the collapse of sea turtle populations or the extinction of the species. The only way to prevent this would be to reduce the temperatures at which sea turtles lay their eggs.
Rodriguez: "We need genetic variety."
Melissa Rodriguez, a sea turtle keeper at the Miami Zoo, said, "Over the years, you're going to see a precipitous drop in their numbers due to a lack of genetic variety." We lack the required male-to-female ratio to conduct effective breeding sessions.
In addition, turtles have been seen with tumors known as fibropapillomatosis or FP. If these tumors aren't treated quickly and well, they are known to kill.
Conclusion
With climate change threatening turtles' futures and the illness spreading, Zirkelbach sees the need to preserve every turtle she can and build additional rehab facilities.
Suleman Shah
Author
Suleman Shah is a researcher and freelance writer. As a researcher, he has worked with MNS University of Agriculture, Multan (Pakistan) and Texas A & M University (USA). He regularly writes science articles and blogs for science news website immersse.com and open access publishers OA Publishing London and Scientific Times. He loves to keep himself updated on scientific developments and convert these developments into everyday language to update the readers about the developments in the scientific era. His primary research focus is Plant sciences, and he contributed to this field by publishing his research in scientific journals and presenting his work at many Conferences.
Shah graduated from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (Pakistan) and started his professional carrier with Jaffer Agro Services and later with the Agriculture Department of the Government of Pakistan. His research interest compelled and attracted him to proceed with his carrier in Plant sciences research. So, he started his Ph.D. in Soil Science at MNS University of Agriculture Multan (Pakistan). Later, he started working as a visiting scholar with Texas A&M University (USA).
Shah’s experience with big Open Excess publishers like Springers, Frontiers, MDPI, etc., testified to his belief in Open Access as a barrier-removing mechanism between researchers and the readers of their research. Shah believes that Open Access is revolutionizing the publication process and benefitting research in all fields.
Han Ju
Reviewer
Hello! I'm Han Ju, the heart behind World Wide Journals. My life is a unique tapestry woven from the threads of news, spirituality, and science, enriched by melodies from my guitar. Raised amidst tales of the ancient and the arcane, I developed a keen eye for the stories that truly matter. Through my work, I seek to bridge the seen with the unseen, marrying the rigor of science with the depth of spirituality.
Each article at World Wide Journals is a piece of this ongoing quest, blending analysis with personal reflection. Whether exploring quantum frontiers or strumming chords under the stars, my aim is to inspire and provoke thought, inviting you into a world where every discovery is a note in the grand symphony of existence.
Welcome aboard this journey of insight and exploration, where curiosity leads and music guides.
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