Turtles Alter Nesting Dates Due To Temperature Change

November 20, 2008

A male Southern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta dorsalis). (Credit: André Karwath / Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Turtles nesting along the Mississippi River and other areas are altering their nesting dates in response to rising temperatures, says a researcher from Iowa State University.

Fred Janzen, a professor in ecology, evolution and organismal biology, has studied turtle nesting habits and also accumulated research going back decades in order to track the habits of the turtles to find out when they make nests and lay eggs.

"The results have been astonishing," says Janzen. "In some cases such as regional populations of red-eared sliders, they are now nesting three weeks earlier than they did in the early 1990s. That is the fastest response to climate change of any species that I know of."

More of the story,
click image

Posted in Nature, Science and Technology