Non-invasive monitoring of the fertilization rate in sea turtle nests: comparison between two techniques
Egg fertilization rate is a defining event in the life history of reproducing oviparous species. However, for many terrestrial oviparous species, this parameter is only estimated after hatching, studying evidences of embryonic development in unhatched eggs. We compared the accuracy of this method with a second non-invasive technique based in the careful nest excavation within the first 96 hours after egg-laying and counting the proportion of eggs with a white spot in the shell. The study was conducted in a nesting population of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) from Boavista Island (Republic of Cabo Verde). We found significant differences on the estimation of fertilization rate between both techniques. After hatching experimented researchers significantly overestimated the number of unfertilised eggs and this parameter was not correlated with the estimation after laying. The earlier estimation had no effect on hatching success and hatchling phenotype. There was no correlation between the number of alive embryos at laying and the hatching success. Unfertile eggs have no effect on survival of developing embryos withing a nest. Fertilization rate in loggerheads did not show spatial or temporal variation during nesting season. We proposed the implementation in sea turtle nesting monitoring programs of an annual, accurate and non-invasive estimation of egg fertilization rate based in the excavation of a sample of representative nests immediately after the formation of the white spot in the shell of developing embryos.