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Updated: Jan 20, 2026
09:32
Evaluation of Auditory Brainstem Response in Chicken Hatchlings
Published on: April 1, 2022
3.5K
Red-eared slider hatchlings (Trachemys scripta) show a seasonal shift in behavioral types
Haley Nichols1, Amanda W Carter1,2, Ryan T Paitz1
1School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois.
Summary
Turtle hatchling behavior, or behavioral types, varies seasonally. Early season turtles exhibit quicker righting responses than late season hatchlings, but maternal hormones or yolk investment do not explain this seasonal shift in behavior.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral ecology
- Herpetology
- Developmental biology
Background:
- Correlated behavioral types influence individual fitness.
- Maternal effects can mediate hatchling behavior to match environmental conditions.
- Seasonal variation in environments may favor different behavioral types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the production of behavioral types differs across the nesting season in red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta).
- To explore potential maternal mechanisms, including estrogens and investment, underlying seasonal shifts in hatchling behavior.
Main Methods:
- Measured righting response (a behavioral type indicator) in hatchlings from early and late season clutches.
- Experimentally manipulated maternal estrogens in early season eggs to mimic late season conditions.
- Assessed maternal investment by quantifying egg, hatchling, and residual yolk masses.
Main Results:
- Early season hatchlings exhibited significantly faster righting responses compared to late season hatchlings.
- Maternal estrogen treatment did not significantly affect hatchling righting response.
- A seasonal pattern in yolk allocation was observed, with early season eggs having more yolk, leading to larger early season hatchlings.
- Hatchling efficiency in converting yolk to tissue was not directly correlated with righting behavior.
Conclusions:
- The prevalence of behavioral types varies across the nesting season in turtle hatchlings.
- Seasonal phenotypes in turtle hatchlings are linked to nesting season.
- Neither maternal estrogens nor yolk investment directly explain the observed seasonal shift in hatchling righting behavior.
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