Nest-site selection and nest size influence the incubation temperature of Morelet's crocodiles.
Autor: | López-Luna MA; Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Dr. Luis Castelazo, Col. Industrial Ánimas, 91190, Xalapa-Enríquez, Veracruz, Mexico; División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carr. Villahermosa-Cárdenas km 0.5, 86039, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Electronic address: marco.lopez.luna@gmail.com., González-Soberano J; División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carr. Villahermosa-Cárdenas km 0.5, 86039, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Electronic address: angel_jersy@hotmail.com., González-Jáuregui M; Laboratorio de Contaminantes Orgánicos Persistentes. Instituto de Ecología, Pesquerías y Oeanografía del Golfo de México, Campus 6, Universidad Autónoma de Campeche, Av. Héroe de Nacozari 480, 24029, San Francisco de Campeche, Campeche, Mexico. Electronic address: mauglezj@gmail.com., Escobedo-Galván AH; Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara, Av. Universidad 203, 48280, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Electronic address: elchorvis@gmail.com., Suárez-Domínguez EA; Facultad de Biología, Universidad Veracruzana, Circuito Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán s/n, Zona Universitaria, 91090, Xalapa-Enríquez, Veracruz, Mexico. Electronic address: emisuarez04@uv.mx., Rangel-Mendoza JA; División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carr. Villahermosa-Cárdenas km 0.5, 86039, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Electronic address: juranmen@gmail.com., Morales-Mávil JE; Instituto de Neuroetología, Universidad Veracruzana, Av. Dr. Luis Castelazo, Col. Industrial Ánimas, 91190, Xalapa-Enríquez, Veracruz, Mexico. Electronic address: jormorales@uv.mx. |
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Jazyk: | angličtina |
Zdroj: | Journal of thermal biology [J Therm Biol] 2020 Jul; Vol. 91, pp. 102624. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 May 20. |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102624 |
Abstrakt: | In oviparous tetrapods, the nesting-site selection by females is related to the habitat characteristics, which influences nest incubation temperature. Females can directly influence the incubation temperature by choosing certain construction materials or by building nests of different sizes. There are few studies focusing on these aspects in crocodilians that build mound nests. The aim of this study was to determine whether the nest size, its exposure to solar radiation, and the environmental temperature influence the incubation temperature of Morelet's crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) nests. Artificial nests of two sizes (small and large) were constructed with similar characteristics to natural nests and placed in two locations differing in exposure to solar radiation (shaded and sunny). We used temperature and relative humidity data loggers to record the incubation temperature inside each nest every hour during the species' natural nesting period. Likewise, we recorded the ambient temperature every hour where the experiments were set up with temperature data loggers. We found that nest size and its exposure to solar radiation affected the incubation temperature, with smaller nests in shaded locations having lower incubation temperatures than larger nests in sunny locations. We discuss the importance of nest-site selection and maintenance behaviour of the mound nest by female crocodiles on the incubation temperature of the nest. (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
Databáze: | MEDLINE |
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