Monday, 8 August 2022

Florida Females

In a varety of Reptilia, sex is determined by the temperature at which the externally-deposited eggs develop. The vast majority of turtles currently hatching in Florida, are now female (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/04/florida-sea-turtles-female-global-heatings). This sex-imbalance appears a direct consequence of global heating. Fairly obviously, this situation threatens the viability of turtle species in Florida. Climate change will inevitably also influence gender in the state's alligators. They, however, to some extent regulate incubation temperatures of their eggs, by adding or removing composting vegetation from their nest sites.

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