Lecture: Climate Change: Answer Sheet

Watch this short video clip: How temperature determines the sex of hatchling sea turtles - YouTube

Part 1: Introduction and Article

Reptiles and Climate Change

Deanna H. Olson, Pacific Northwest Research Station; Daniel Saenz, Southern Research Station

Issues

Many reptiles are highly sensitive to the altered temperatures that may result from climate
change due to their ectothermy which requires that they rely on ambient environmental
temperatures to maintain critical physiological processes. Due to the variety of snakes, lizards,
crocodilians, and turtles in our world (traditionally classified as reptiles), and because climate
change data and projections vary with location, it will be important to consider each species and
location separately when considering the potential effects of altered climate on these animals.
In temperate zones, lizards are thought to be highly vulnerable to climate change. Their
reproduction is closely tied to narrow windows of time in the spring and summer when suitable
temperature and moisture regimes are available for critical natural history activities, such as
foraging and mating. Altered weather conditions during these seasons may result in frequently
recurring "bust" years of reproductive failure. Other climate effects on lizard survival include
mortality associated with warm spells in winter, interacting effects of altered vegetation
communities, fire regimes and invasive species, and potentially disease.
Snakes are very closely related to lizards, and these effects may hold true for them as well. Just
as with lizards, new studies illustrate species differences: climatic niche models suggest that
some rattlesnakes may have smaller ranges; while ratsnakes have increased activities due to
warmer night temperatures.
Climate change concerns for turtles and crocodilians are three-fold. First, these mostly aquatic
species may encounter altered habitats and increased habitat fragmentation with altered climate.
In this regard they share many concerns with amphibians, such as sensitivity to changes in water
availability and its’ thermal properties. Second, turtles and alligators have temperature-sensitive
sex determination: cooler temperatures may produce nests of only males; warmer temperatures
may produce nests of only females. Temperature changes in a local area may have the effect of
altering the sex ratios of populations - potentially affecting future reproduction and over time
compromising their evolutionary fitness. Third, coastal species such as the American Alligator
and Crocodile are susceptible to an increasing frequency or intensity of storms caused by
increases in ocean temperatures. Storm surges can displace or drown animals, and dehydrate
them by salt water intrusion into freshwater habitats. Because the United States is a biodiversity
hotspot for turtles, and turtle conservation issues are multi-faceted, concern for climate change
projections relative to rare turtle species is a specific concern.
Likely Changes

The highest biodiversity of reptiles in the United States is in the southern states, in desert and
subtropical ecosystems. The northern distributions are constrained by latitude, with species
richness dropping considerably as you go north. North boundaries of species ranges are often
marginal habitats due to climate factors such as cool temperatures and weather variation.
Altered thermal niches for reptiles in these zones due to climate change will be important to
track. Briefly, to understand thermal niches, consider that there is a time-window during the day
when there are suitable temperatures for reptile activities. It appears that this time-window is
becoming smaller as climate changes are apparent in both tropical and temperate zone regions,
reducing the activity times of reptiles, affecting their reproduction and survival. Although habitat
may be marching northward or into mountains for some species, for other species, increased
weather variation may alter the frequency or intensity of boom-bust reproductive cycles and
cohort survival. Examples follow.
In Oregon, variable spring weather has been shown to narrow the time window of suitable
breeding conditions for the Common Side-blotched Lizard, Uta stansburiana, with reproductive
bust years being reported. In Mexico, a study reported that 12% of local lizard populations have
been lost since 1975, with evidence that these losses are associated with climate change altering
thermal niches. In Alberta, Canada, the Greater Short-horned Lizard, Phrynosoma hernandesi,
overwinter survival relies on persistent snow cover to retain animals in insulated hibernation:
lizards become active during warm spells in winter, and then they can be ‘caught out’ and die
when it snows again. In contrast, ratsnake thermal niches may be expanding with more warmer
nights.
Vulnerability assessments and predictions of how habitat distributions will change abound for
many taxa. Looming questions are where will suitable habitats occur in the future, and will
organisms be able to get there? In our human-altered world, roads and urban-rural development
are new hurdles to dispersing reptiles, added to a variety of natural geographic barriers. In Spain,
the northward expansion of lizard ranges coincident with changing climate has been tracked over
about a 50 year period, with geographic barriers including the Pyrenees Mountains now posing
dispersal limitations.

Options for Management

For reptiles, management is of paramount concern to maintain and restore existing habitats,
augment acreages of intact habitat blocks, and adapt management actions to reduce
environmental stressors. Because microclimates can be readily manipulated with local land
management activities, people can actively engineer a future for some of these organisms,
especially when their environments are already highly altered due to human activities.
Invasive plant species and most human disturbances can alter local- to landscape-scale habitats
and microclimates, which can have consequent effects on reptiles. Non-native vegetation may
have different physical structure and cover, hindering reptile daily activities, and subsequently
altering critical life history functions and reptile survival, and negatively influencing dynamics of
interacting communities. Open habitat management may be needed to forestall encroaching
vegetation, especially non-native plants, or to mitigate human disturbance (e.g., agricultural or
energy development). Meadow shrub and tree control may be needed to retain sun-exposure.
Riparian buffers may retain near-water refugia. For turtles or other water-dependent reptiles,
manipulation of hydroperiod at sites by site excavation and riparian buffer management are
considerations. Substrate management may be needed for several types of reptiles: rock outcrops
and talus are complex refugia for lizards and snakes and may need protection or augmentation;
rocky pond edges provide basking sites and antipredation refugia for turtles. Some species need
specific substrate types, or rely on existing burrows created by other animals; these need
consideration if climate change alters landscape-scale habitat distribution. Traditionally used
snake hibernacula may need special protection. Management measures taken to maintain natural
fire regimes and control invasive plants might also benefit reptiles. Altered fire regimes may
change refugia, reduce cover and expose animals to heightened predation, and invasive plants
may exacerbate climate-linked fire patterns.
Managers can facilitate the movement of reptiles by providing corridors between needed habitats
that support complex reptile life histories: breeding, foraging, overwintering, anti-predation, and
basking habitats can all differ. Corridors between overwintering hibernacula and foraging areas,
or between upland nesting sites and aquatic breeding sites are a particular concern because these
can be inadvertently affected by roads or development. Considerations include: 1) extension of
riparian corridors along safe upland dispersal routes; 2) creating barriers to dispersal along
unsafe routes, such as along roads or into disturbed areas; 3) road-crossing culverts that may
require dry as well as wetted channel areas; 4) management of surface rock or burrow
availability and connectivity.
If stop-gap measures are needed for rare species faced with extinction, the more costly methods
of Reintroduction, Relocation, Translocation, and Headstarting (RRTH) may be considered. In
the United States, numerous RRTH projects are underway for reptiles, such as the captive
propagation and reintroduction of Eastern Indigo Snakes. Broad-scale policies directed at
vulnerable site protections warrant consideration.

Questions

1. Why are reptiles susceptible to changing temperatures?

Reptiles are susceptible to temperature changes because their bodies have a high sensitivity and
they need to retain the significant physiological activities. Their bodies are reliant to the external
temperature affected by climate variations that occur in their respective contexts.

2. Is it possible to describe the effects of climate change on reptiles as a whole? Why or why not?

It is not possible to describe the climate changes because they are variant on the basis of location.
The climate changes on reptiles cannot have a generalized description because multiple locations
experience distinct temperatures. Another reason is that the species are affected differently by the
climate changes, thus it would be challenging to get a general description. Since reptiles
experience the temperatures distinctively, it would not be effective to have a standard definition
or conclusion in relation to climate change.

3. How do changing climate trends affect lizard species in temperate climates?

The variant climate trends in temperate regions affect the lizard species in different ways due to
their vulnerability. The reproduction processes of lizards are impacted by spring and summer
seasons. When the weather is favorable, the mating and foraging processes in lizards are
accomplished. The variations in weather conditions contribute to failure in reproduction
procedures for multiple periods. The other impacts of the climate that are experienced in lizards
are mortality which occurs as a result of warm spells. Additional climate variation effects are the
interaction consequences of changes in vegetation, invasive animals, and potential infections.

4. Which groups of reptiles are more susceptible to temperature variation? Why?

The groups of reptiles that are more susceptible to temperature variations are;
 Turtles and crocodilians – the species are sensitive to variations in water availability due
it’s the thermal properties. Their sex is determined by the variations in temperature levels
within their environment. They are susceptible to the rise in ocean temperatures which
emerges as a result of storms.

5. What is temperature-dependent sex determination?

Temperature-dependent sex determination focuses on the impacts of the environmental

conditions on the sex ratios among individuals. It impacts the reproduction levels and
compromises the evolutionary fitness levels across species.

7. Where is the highest diversity of reptiles in the United States? Why are some species limited
to this area?

Across the southern states of the US, the highest biodiversity is experienced, which is mostly
covered by deserts and subtropical ecosystems. Some species are limited to this region because
the significant variations can change the frequency or intensity levels for the reproduction cycles
and the surviving of the cohort.

8. According to the reading, how might climate change affect the distribution of some reptile
species?

Climate changes has a significant effect on species distribution in the northern region of the US.
The constraints emerge due to the latitude in the region, which decreases the species population.
Some of the climate aspects weather changes and the cold temperatures experienced in the
region. The temperatures decrease the activity times of the reptiles, thus impacting the
reproduction and survival rates. For instance, the climate variations during the Spring period
have decreased the breeding period of reptiles. Also, in Mexico around 12% of the domestic
lizard population was lost and the cause was associated with the climatic variations in the region.
Another example of climate variation impacts on lizard population is how they are active during
the warm seasons and their mortality rates increase when its cold.
9. How can invasive plant species and human disturbance affect reptiles?

The invasive plant species and human species have various physical systems and covers, which
prevent the daily activities of reptiles, disrupt the main life history functions progressively, limit
reptile survival, and have a negative influence on the changes that emerge in the interacting
communities.

10. How can conservation managers help improve reptile habitat connectivity and avoid human
disturbance?

Conservation managers can take action towards enhancing reptile habitat connective and limit
human disturbance through promoting the management of open habitat that is required in
preventing invasive vegetation such as non-native plants and address human disturbance
concerns.

Part 2: Hypothesis Generation

Question

Imagine you are a scientist assisting Jensen’s research team. You want to examine the effects of
nest temperature on sex determination for the endangered green sea turtle. You begin by asking,
does nest temperature affect the sex ratio of green sea turtle hatchlings?

1. Generate a possible hypothesis for what you just read in this excerpt from Part 2.

Hypothesis = the nest temperatures have a significant influence on the sex ratio of green sea
turtle hatchlings
The nest temperatures have an insignificant influence on the sex ratio of green sea turtle
hatchlings

Part 3: Data Interpretation

Questions
1. Based on the data in Table 1, which nesting origin produced the largest male to female ratio
and what are the implications of this for nesting temperature and sex determination in the green
sea turtle?

The nesting origin with the highest production of large male to female ratio is Northern GBR.
This increased the nesting temperatures that raised the hatching levels for green sea turtles. As a
result, the reproduction rates increased due to the increased hatching among the green sea turtles.
From the results, it is indicated that 99% of female juveniles were hatched and the similar rates
were realized during their sub-adult hood stage. At the adult stage, 87% were successful to
survival. This shows that the nesting conditions were conducive and the survival rates were 99%.

2. Based on the data in Figure 1, which group of independent variables (location, turtle stage, and
sex) exhibits the largest percentage? Approximately, what is the percentage?

The independent variable that portrays the most significant percentage is the southern GBR. The
percentages for males and females originating from the region are evenly distributed. They are
represented under each variable making it to have the largest percentage.

Part 4: Future Outlook for the Green Sea Turtle

Questions

1. Using 2007/2008 current temperature measurements, which nesting sites will produce
predominantly male sea turtle hatchlings? Which sites will produce predominantly females?

Cool nest conditions contribute to an increase in male hatchlings, while warm nest conditions
lead to the rise in female hatchlings. From the table, the nesting site that are likely to increase the
male hatchlings are Sandbank 7 and Milman Island. However, the nesting site that will
contribute to a predominant rate of females is Sandbank 8.
2. Using conservative predictions for the year 2030, which nesting sites will produce
predominantly male hatchlings? Will the same sites continue to do so under the extreme forecast
for 2030?

The nesting sites that will produce a predominant rate of male hatchlings are Sandbank 7 and
Milman Island. However, the similar sites will continue to produce the male hatchlings in 2030
extreme forecast since the temperatures are relatively low, which are favorable for the production
of male sea turtles.

3. In 2070, which nesting sites will produce predominantly male hatchlings?

In 2070, the nesting sites with the coolest temperatures is Sandbank 7, although the rates are
slightly high and might cause abnormalities or eggs might not hatch at a high rate.

4. Based on 2070 extreme temperature predictions, are any nesting sites in danger of exceeding
the highest possible temperatures for hatchling development?

In consideration of the 2070 extreme temperature projections, the nesting sites that can cause
danger for the development of hatching are Bramble Clay, Dowar Island, and Moulter Cay,
which portray relatively high temperatures.

5. If nesting sites produce only female hatchlings, what problems might this cause for population
sizes of the green sea turtle?

If the nesting sites only produce female hatchlings, there might be a reduction in the population
sizes because the ranges are outliers considering that they are more than 29.50 C. The problems
that are likely to occur are abnormalities and eggs might not hatch, which is likely to reduce the
hatchlings for female for green sea turtle.