This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The future of the alligator species could come down to a one- or two-degree temperature difference, according to new research from the University of Georgia. The findings are published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
A small change on the thermometer could determine whether a gator develops as a male or female. And that could have ramifications for alligator populations as temperatures rise. Typically, incubations at cooler temperatures (think 86 to 88 degrees Fahrenheit) and hot spells (97 degrees Fahrenheit and above) result in more female gators.
Moderate temperatures (90 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit) yield more males. But these trends largely reflect controlled experiments in laboratories in which alligator eggs are incubated under constant temperatures. Nests in the wild don't experience constant temperatures; instead, temperatures fluctuate due to heat waves or just going from day to night.
The present study gives scientists a better understanding of real-world nest conditions. "For population health and stability, I think it means that those small differences are really important," said Benjamin Parrott, senior author of the study and an associate professor in UGA's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and Odum School of Ecology. "Whenever a population is out of balance, it can impact population growth.
Whenever you start to lose females, then the population can really get in trouble." The researchers collected 146 alligator eggs from seven nests in South Carolina. They incubated the eggs under five different temperatures, averaging 86 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit, with small daily fluctuations (around 5 degrees) to simulate realistic nest conditions. They then identified the resulting sex of the alligators and used that to create a new model that connects offspring sex with incubation temperature.
Their new model closely matched previous sex outcomes at cooler temperatures. But at higher temperatures, even a change of one or two degrees made a big difference in whether alligator embryos developed as male or female. "We know from monitoring nests that these temperature cycles fluctuate.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
