Sedimentary characteristics of Dermochelys coriacea nests and their effects on hatching success in the central coast of Oaxaca, Mexico
Palavras-chave:
Clutch size, grain size, incubation chamber, leatherback turtle, Sand.Resumo
Background: For sea turtles, temperature and moisture inside the nest are known to be crucial for successful embryonic development during incubation period, and both are influenced by the physical and chemical characteristics of the sand that constitute the incubation chamber; therefore, sediment size influences sea turtle nesting and hatching success. Until now, no other studies have been done in D. coriacea to associate sand characteristics with the hatching success in Mexican protected hatcheries, and the consequences that this has on reproductive success are not fully understood. Objective: During 2016/2017 leatherback-breeding season, we evaluated the sedimentary characteristics of Dermochelys coriacea nests in two hatcheries in the central coast of Oaxaca, by associating the sediment properties of the incubation chambers with hatching success and incubation duration. Results: The sand of San Juan Chacahua hatchery showed a dominance of medium sands, with the medium-sand fraction. Palmarito showed a dominance of medium sand sediment too. All samples have similar grain-size spectra and were classified as mesokurtic. Clutch size exerted a positive effect on hatching success in both hatcheries, and sediment grain size did not affect it. Hatching success is mostly affected by clutch size and grain size, whilst the incubation duration is influenced by nesting date, clutch size, and grain size. Conclusions: San Juan Chacahua hatchery has fine grain size with major pH values, more incubation days with more clutch size than Palmarito hatchery. More studies about the effect of physical properties of sand in hatcheries are needed to establish a criterion for determine the best areas to set up this.
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