The Embryos of Turtles Can Influence Their Own Sexual Destinies - PubMed (original) (raw)
. 2019 Aug 19;29(16):2597-2603.e4.
doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.06.038. Epub 2019 Aug 1.
Affiliations
- PMID: 31378606
- DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.06.038
Free article
The Embryos of Turtles Can Influence Their Own Sexual Destinies
Yin-Zi Ye et al. Curr Biol. 2019.
Free article
Abstract
Sessile organisms with thermally sensitive developmental trajectories are at high risk from climate change. For example, oviparous reptiles with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) may experience strong (potentially disastrous) shifts in offspring sex ratio if reproducing females are unable to predict incubation conditions at the time of oviposition. How then have TSD reptile taxa persisted over previous periods of extreme climatic conditions? An ability of embryos to move within the egg to select optimal thermal regimes could buffer ambient extremes, but the feasibility of behavioral thermoregulation by embryos has come under strong challenge. To test this idea, we measured thermal gradients within eggs in semi-natural nests of a freshwater turtle species with TSD, manipulated embryonic thermoregulatory ability, and modeled the effects of embryonic thermoregulation on offspring sex ratios. Behavioral thermoregulation by embryos accelerated development and influenced offspring sex ratio, expanding the range of ambient conditions under which nests produce equal numbers of male and female offspring. Model projections suggest that sex ratio shifts induced by global warming will be buffered by the ability of embryos to influence their sexual destiny via behavioral thermoregulation.
Keywords: climate change; embryonic development; hatchling; reptile; sex determination; thermoregulation.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Comment in
- Developmental Biology: Embryonic Movement Influences Sex Determination in a Turtle.
While GM, Wapstra E. While GM, et al. Curr Biol. 2019 Sep 23;29(18):R883-R886. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.080. Curr Biol. 2019. PMID: 31550476
Similar articles
- Extreme thermal fluctuations from climate change unexpectedly accelerate demographic collapse of vertebrates with temperature-dependent sex determination.
Valenzuela N, Literman R, Neuwald JL, Mizoguchi B, Iverson JB, Riley JL, Litzgus JD. Valenzuela N, et al. Sci Rep. 2019 Mar 12;9(1):4254. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-40597-4. Sci Rep. 2019. PMID: 30862793 Free PMC article. - Measurement and modelling of primary sex ratios for species with temperature-dependent sex determination.
Massey MD, Holt SM, Brooks RJ, Rollinson N. Massey MD, et al. J Exp Biol. 2019 Jan 3;222(Pt 1):jeb190215. doi: 10.1242/jeb.190215. J Exp Biol. 2019. PMID: 30352829 - The impact of sand moisture on the temperature-sex ratio responses of developing loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles.
Lolavar A, Wyneken J. Lolavar A, et al. Zoology (Jena). 2020 Feb;138:125739. doi: 10.1016/j.zool.2019.125739. Epub 2019 Dec 17. Zoology (Jena). 2020. PMID: 31954221 - Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination in Sea Turtles in the Context of Climate Change: Uncovering the Adaptive Significance.
Santidrián Tomillo P, Spotila JR. Santidrián Tomillo P, et al. Bioessays. 2020 Nov;42(11):e2000146. doi: 10.1002/bies.202000146. Epub 2020 Sep 8. Bioessays. 2020. PMID: 32896903 Review. - Hatching behavior in turtles.
Spencer RJ, Janzen FJ. Spencer RJ, et al. Integr Comp Biol. 2011 Jul;51(1):100-10. doi: 10.1093/icb/icr045. Epub 2011 Jun 9. Integr Comp Biol. 2011. PMID: 21659391 Review.
Cited by
- Behavioral thermoregulation by reptile embryos promotes hatching success and synchronization.
Liu S, Zhao B, Gu X, Du W. Liu S, et al. Commun Biol. 2023 Aug 15;6(1):848. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-05229-8. Commun Biol. 2023. PMID: 37582884 Free PMC article. - Can nesting behaviour allow reptiles to adapt to climate change?
Du WG, Li SR, Sun BJ, Shine R. Du WG, et al. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2023 Aug 28;378(1884):20220153. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0153. Epub 2023 Jul 10. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2023. PMID: 37427463 Free PMC article. Review. - Sex determination without sex chromosomes.
Weber C, Capel B. Weber C, et al. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2021 Aug 30;376(1832):20200109. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0109. Epub 2021 Jul 12. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2021. PMID: 34247500 Free PMC article. Review.