Facts about Temperature Dependent Sex Determination
- 07
Environmental warming threatens to produce all-female sea turtle populations by 2100 if global temperatures rise 2 degrees Celsius, since temperature dependent sex determination makes marine reptiles vulnerable to climate shifts.
- 06
Alligator eggs incubated at 32.2 degrees Celsius produce approximately equal sex ratios, while deviation above or below this pivotal temperature increasingly skews offspring toward female or male development respectively.
- 05
Painted turtles shift from male-biased to female-biased sex ratios when incubation temperatures rise from 26.5 to 30.5 degrees Celsius, demonstrating temperature dependent sex determination's sensitivity to relatively narrow thermal ranges.
- 04
Most species of lizards and tuatara use temperature dependent sex determination, with pivotal temperatures typically ranging between 26 and 34 degrees Celsius determining male versus female offspring.
- 03
The Australian bearded dragon exhibits temperature dependent sex determination with a thermal threshold around 32 degrees Celsius separating male and female development during incubation.
- 02
Sea turtle embryos develop as females when sand temperatures exceed 29 degrees Celsius during the middle third of incubation, a critical period for sex determination.
- 01
In crocodilians, eggs incubated below 30 degrees Celsius produce females while temperatures above 34 degrees Celsius produce males through temperature dependent sex determination.