TITLE:
Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas, Nesting and Temperature Profile of the Nesting Beach at Huyong Island, the Similan Islands in Andaman Sea
AUTHORS:
Sarawoot Gomuttapong, Winai Klom-In, Jirarach Kitana, Putsatee Pariyanonth, Kumthorn Thirakhupt, Noppadon Kitana
KEYWORDS:
Conservation; Nesting Ecology; Sea Turtle; Thermal Profile
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Resources,
Vol.4 No.4,
August
8,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Global change in temperature is regarded as a serious natural disaster that may cause extinction of organisms. Green turtle, Chelonia mydas, is not only an endangered species but also a species with temperature dependent sex determination that could be affected by the global warming. In this study, nesting and temperature profile of C. mydas nesting beach at HuyongIsland, the most important nesting site of C. mydas in Andaman Sea of Thailand, were studied in order to monitor a potential effect of regional climate change on the green turtle nesting activity and habitat. Nesting activities were surveyed during May-August 2011 and temperature profiles of the nesting beach were monitored for 58 days during the normal incubation period of this species. The total of 25 nests with clutch size of 105 ± 25 eggs was found during this study period suggesting normal nesting activity of the green turtle. Temperature profile of the nesting beach showed similar trend among nests with no clear influence of the vegetation cover. Mean nest temperature at the middle-third period, corresponding to the temperature-sensitive period of C. mydas, ranged from 28.3°C to 28.9°C, suggesting a slightly male-biased sex ratio of the offspring. Overall, temperature profile of the nesting beach showed little or no indication of adverse effects of regional increase in temperature on nesting activity and egg incubation of the green turtle at this period.