Shaping hatchling fitness through maternal and environmental influences in green sea turtles.

ABSTRACT: Sea turtles have no parental care, making maternal investment and environmental conditions crucial for offspring fitness. The morphological characteristics of hatchlings and the size of residual yolk after hatching are important indicators of neonatal viability. However, considerable geographic variation exists, and the impacts of maternal and environmental factors on hatchling morphology, residual yolk mass, and behavior performance are not yet fully understood, especially in the Western Pacific Ocean. This study investigated the effects of nesting green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), clutch variables, and environmental variables on hatchling morphology and the size of the umbilical scar (an indicator of residual yolk mass) to estimate post-hatching energy reserves, as well as to evaluat h

SUBMITTER: Liu TH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12357878 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature