‘Complete feminisation’ of northern population is possible in near future, researchers findRising temperatures are turning almost all green sea turtles in a Great Barrier Reef population female, new research has found. Sea turtles are among species with temperature dependent sex-determination and the proportion of female hatchlings increases when nests are in warmer sands. It examined two genetically distinct populations of turtles on the reef, finding the northern group of about 200,000 animals was overwhelmingly female. The research was facilitated through the Great Barrier Reef Rivers to Reef to Turtles project by the World Wildlife Fund Australia. Fears for Great Barrier Reef as deforestation surges in catchments Read more“We’ve had two years where we’ve had mass bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef,” he told Guardian Australia.

Source: The Guardian January 08, 2018 16:52 UTC