Date of Award
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Abstract
The reproductive success of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) is typically the lowest of the seven sea turtle species. Why this vital rate is decreased has remained unanswered for nearly a century. Recently, detailed postmortem examination of leatherback hatchlings identified muscular pathologies that suggested possible selenium deficiency. High bodily burdens of mercury compounds are associated with selenium depletion. Selenium is a necessary detoxifying nutrient that itself can be toxic at elevated concentrations. Mercury compounds are toxicants with no known biological function. High bodily concentrations of mercury can be detrimental to marine organismal health, reproduction and survival, both directly and indirectly through inducing selenium depletion. The goals of this dissertation are to evaluate several related hypotheses to explain low leatherback nest success. ... Because leatherbacks take in high volumes of prey, high tissue concentrations of mercury and selenium can result. This study provides the first evidence that chemical contaminants may explain low reproductive success in leatherback sea turtles.
Extent
xx, 166 p. : ill., maps
Recommended Citation
Perrault, Justin R., "Investigating maternal health and hatchling mortality in leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea v.)" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 803.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/803
Identifier
FADT3362575
Comments
by Justin R. Perrault.|Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.|Includes bibliography.|Mode of access: World Wide Web.|System requirements: Adobe Reader.|by Justin R. Perrault.