Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Milton, Sarah
Abstract
As climate change threatens with sea-level rise and more storms, increased erosion could increase the need for beach nourishment. Alterations to sand characteristics may result in changes to the sea turtle nest microenvironment, impacting the temperature and oxygen levels which may affect hatchling performance. In this study, leatherback, loggerhead, and green nests were sampled from two sites with different sand characteristics in Juno Beach, Florida, USA. Gas exchange was higher in green turtle nests with a greater mixture of sediment. Darker sediment elevated nest temperatures. Finer sediment and a greater mixture of sediment in leatherback nests elevated the nest temperatures; conversely finer sediment, and a greater mixture of sediment decreased loggerhead and green nest temperatures. Elevated nest temperatures reduced leatherback, loggerhead, and green turtle hatchling performance. Understanding the relationships between beach composition, nest environment, and hatchling performance will aid management decisions essential to sea turtle conservation.
Extent
135 p.
Recommended Citation
Seaman, Heather A., "The impacts of nest microenvironment on sea turtle hatchling performance and their responses to thermal stress" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present. 610.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general/610
Identifier
FA00013542
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.