Scientists figure out why female turtles are born at higher temperatures
It has been long been accepted that the sex of a turtle is determined before it is hatched, a process known as temperature sex determination. In most cases, a viable ova incubated at higher temperatures results in mostly females, while dropping the temperature only a couple degrees will produce males. In 1980 scientists were bafffled when after they rescued sea turtle eggs for the purpose of artificial incubation, they all resulted in males, instigating the discovery and study of temperature sex determination (TSD). Scientists in the modern age are now attempting to pinpoint the cause of this process, and have recently come to the conclusion that it is carried out by genes. Turk Rhen, an integrative biologist at the University of North Dakota, along with his partner Anthony Schroeder, believe they may have discovered the exact gene responsible for this complicated and fascinating phenomenon. It is known as the cold-inducible RNA-binding protein gene (CIRBP). This gene assists in heat regulation in mammals; in addition, it is involved with changing DNA into RNA. The scientists proceded to experiment with fluctuating the temperatures within an incubator producing outstanding results. The gene expression changed within a day. Increasingly interesting was the fact that changing the genes in the slightest manner also varied the TSD threshhold, so that females were able to be produced at lower temperatures. All these studies have implications in the current day as the earth’s temperatures fluctuate from low to high and high to low. This may also assist researchers and conservationists in saving critically endangered turtle and tortoise species.
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Did You Know…
The vertex temperature is the incubation temperature at which the sex ratio amongst the resultant hatchlings would be balanced. Temperature above the vertex predominantly produce females below males.
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Photo from Jackie Lorentz.
