Different male vs. female breeding periodicity helps mitigate offspring sex ratio skews in sea turtles

Different male vs. female breeding periodicity helps mitigate offspring sex ratio skews in sea turtles

*Correspondence: Graeme C. Hays, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Princes Hwy, Warrnambool, VIC 3280, Australia e-mail: [email protected] The implications of climate change for global biodiversity may be profound with those species with little capacity for adaptation being thought to be particularly vulnerable to warming. A classic...

Male pygmy hippopotamus influence offspring sex ratio

Pre-determining fetal sex is against the random and equal opportunity that both conceptus sexes have by nature. Yet, under a wide variety of circumstances, populations shift their birth sex ratio from the expected unity. Here we show, using fluorescence in situ hybridization, that in a population of pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) with 42.5% male offspring, males bias the ratio of X...

Deforestation: risk of sex ratio distortion in hawksbill sea turtles.

Phenotypic sex in sea turtles is determined by nest incubation temperatures, with warmer temperatures producing females and cooler temperatures producing males. The common finding of highly skewed female-biased hatchling sex ratios in sea turtle populations could have serious repercussions for the long-term survival of these species and prompted us to examine the thermal profile of a relatively...

Nest depth may not compensate for sex ratio skews caused by climate change in turtles

The Maternal Legacy: Female Identity Predicts Offspring Sex Ratio in the Loggerhead Sea Turtle

In organisms with temperature-dependent sex determination, the incubation environment plays a key role in determining offspring sex ratios. Given that global temperatures have warmed approximately 0.6 °C in the last century, it is necessary to consider how organisms will adjust to climate change. To better understand the degree to which mothers influence the sex ratios of their offspring, we us...