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One of the effects of climate change is the warming of ocean and air temperatures. The origin of the sea turtle offspring is determined by temperature during development. Temperature over 87° Fahrenheit will result in female offspring. In 2-5 sentences, describe what change you'd expect to see in the distribution of traits, if any, and whether it would be caused by a genetic adaptation, a mutation, or the environment.

User Ingo Kegel
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2 Answers

21 votes
21 votes

Final answer:

With the increase in temperatures due to climate change, sea turtle populations are expected to become increasingly female-biased due to temperature-dependent sex determination, which can affect their reproductive dynamics.

Step-by-step explanation:

As ocean and air temperatures rise due to climate change, we would expect to see a shift in the distribution of traits among sea turtle populations, particularly the sex ratio. Since the sex determination in turtles is influenced by the incubation temperature of the eggs, with temperatures over 87° Fahrenheit resulting in female offspring, a warming environment could lead to populations becoming female-biased. This change is not due to a genetic adaptation or mutation, but rather an environmental influence on sex determination, a phenomenon called temperature-dependent sex determination. This shift in trait distribution could have long-term impacts on sea turtle populations, as the sex ratio imbalance may affect the ability of the species to reproduce effectively.

User Ethankore
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29 votes
29 votes

Answer:

There will be more female offspring because the effects of climate change are the warming of the ocean and air temperatures. This is caused by environmental issues, global warming. Over time if it gets to the point where there are far more females than males, this could cause a disruption in the population. This would be an environmental effect on the population.

User Evan Pon
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