Christopher Rowe, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, will be joining us to talk about the state and future of Diamondback terrapins in MD.
The diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin, is North America’s only estuarine endemic turtle. In Maryland, terrapins occupy brackish marshes and shallow, nearshore habitats of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. In addition, females require undeveloped, sandy shoreline areas for nesting in the summer. Due to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors operating in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region, sea level rise (“SLR”) in Maryland outpaces that in many other regions of the world. Rising sea levels are leading to erosion of the critical brackish marsh and sandy shorelines that terrapins require to complete their life cycle. Exacerbating the problem of habitat loss due to SLR is the human response to SLR, which has frequently been to harden the shoreline, establishing barriers to terrapins attempting to come ashore to nest. Available critical habitats for terrapins will continue to disappear as SLR continues unabated.
The diamondback terrapin’s reproductive physiology is similar to many other turtles in that hatchling sex depends upon thermal conditions during a critical period of embryonic development. As the atmosphere continues to warm, terrapin nest temperatures will increase, likely bringing about female-biased sex ratios in future populations. Rowe will discuss ongoing research evaluating changes to critical habitats and temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in Maryland’s diamondback terrapins in light of current environmental trends.