Population viability at extreme sex-ratio skews produced by temperature-dependent sex determination.

ABSTRACT: For species with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) there is the fear that rising temperatures may lead to single-sex populations and population extinction. We show that for sea turtles, a major group exhibiting TSD, these concerns are currently unfounded but may become important under extreme climate warming scenarios. We show how highly female-biased sex ratios in developing eggs translate into much more balanced operational sex ratios so that adult male numbers in populations around the world are unlikely to be limiting. Rather than reducing population viability, female-biased offspring sex ratios may, to some extent, help population growth by increasing the number of breeding females and hence egg production. For rookeries across the world (n = 75 sites for seven species), w

SUBMITTER: Hays GC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5310611 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature