Title |
Climate Driven Egg and Hatchling Mortality Threatens Survival of Eastern Pacific Leatherback Turtles
|
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Published in |
PLOS ONE, May 2012
|
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0037602 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Pilar Santidrián Tomillo, Vincent S. Saba, Gabriela S. Blanco, Charles A. Stock, Frank V. Paladino, James R. Spotila |
Abstract |
Egg-burying reptiles need relatively stable temperature and humidity in the substrate surrounding their eggs for successful development and hatchling emergence. Here we show that egg and hatchling mortality of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in northwest Costa Rica were affected by climatic variability (precipitation and air temperature) driven by the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Drier and warmer conditions associated with El Niño increased egg and hatchling mortality. The fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects a warming and drying in Central America and other regions of the World, under the SRES A2 development scenario. Using projections from an ensemble of global climate models contributed to the IPCC report, we project that egg and hatchling survival will rapidly decline in the region over the next 100 years by ∼50-60%, due to warming and drying in northwestern Costa Rica, threatening the survival of leatherback turtles. Warming and drying trends may also threaten the survival of sea turtles in other areas affected by similar climate changes. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Canada | 2 | 29% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 14% |
Costa Rica | 1 | 14% |
Unknown | 3 | 43% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 5 | 71% |
Scientists | 1 | 14% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 14% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Uruguay | 1 | <1% |
Brazil | 1 | <1% |
South Africa | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Argentina | 1 | <1% |
United States | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 187 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 43 | 22% |
Researcher | 34 | 18% |
Student > Master | 28 | 15% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 20 | 10% |
Other | 10 | 5% |
Other | 21 | 11% |
Unknown | 37 | 19% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 80 | 41% |
Environmental Science | 42 | 22% |
Social Sciences | 6 | 3% |
Earth and Planetary Sciences | 5 | 3% |
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 4 | 2% |
Other | 14 | 7% |
Unknown | 42 | 22% |