Date of Award
2005
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Milton, Sarah L.
Abstract
Sea turtles have temperature-dependent sex determination, with males being produced at cooler temperatures and females at warmer ones. Thus, sex ratios are often estimated on average nest temperatures, but this is unreliable. Therefore, many studies have begun to look to alternative methods to identify sex ratios. Other methods used to determine sex require hatchling sacrifice or are labor intensive. This study utilized high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to investigate correlations between steroid hormone levels in hatchling plasma and allantoic fluid, nest temperature and sex. Hatchling sex was determined laparoscopically to ground-truth hormone profiles. No correlation was found between hormones, nest temperature and sex. However, as hormones were readily detectable by HPLC, the technique may be applicable to juvenile or adult turtles with mature profiles.
Extent
78 p.
Recommended Citation
Botterill, Brooke L., "Sex determination of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) via hormonal analysis by high performance liquid chromatography" (2005). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009. 942.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_5/942
Identifier
FADT13284
Comments
Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2005.|Charles E. Schmidt College of Science|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2005.