Turtles Alter Nesting Dates Due to Rising Temperatures

Rising temperatures have caused turtles nesting along the Mississippi River to alter their nesting dates, according to a researcher from Iowa State University. Professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology Fred Janzen has long studied turtle nesting habits and has accumulated research going back decades to track the habits of turtles, finding out when they make nests and lay eggs.

From Science Daily:

“The results have been astonishing,” says Janzen. “In some cases such as regional populations of red-eared sliders, they are now nesting three weeks earlier than they did in the early 1990s. That is the fastest response to climate change of any species that I know of.”

The turtles that changed their nesting habits were not only young turtles that are nesting for the first time, said Janzen, but were also older turtles that were changing their habits. This trait, called plasticity, helps animals alter their behavior in the short term until inherited behavior takes over.

“What we found was that in the late 1980s, painted turtles started nesting in early June, now it is on the order of 10 days or more earlier,” said Janzen. “These behaviors are showing how the plasticity of the species is helping them survive, but we are wondering what the limit is to their ability to adapt.”

Janzen’s research also determined that temperature changes are causing far more male turtles to be born than females. He had predicted that it would be the other way around, since warmer temperatures tend to produce females – but his research suggests that, since the air feels warmer, turtles are nesting earlier while the ground is still cold. He believes that the overabundance of males will stress the species.

We’re starting to see more and more of these reports trickling in. What will it take to get people to wake up and realize that the earth is already being affected and changed by global warming? As each day passes with so many people still believing that action isn’t necessary – or not believing that global warming is even real – we lose so much crucial time preserving the ecology of this planet.

Link [Science Daily]
Photo credit: Flickr user batwrangler

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