Effect of Incubation Temperature on the Somatic Development of the Snail-Eating Turtle Malayemys macrocephala

The rising average global temperature can lead to changes both in the physical and biological environments and affect the survival of organisms. Freshwater turtles are considered to be susceptible species since their development is dependent on incubation temperature. In Thailand, although several species of freshwater turtle are present, the extent of their susceptibility to temperature change is unknown due to the lack of information on their developmental patterns. This research, therefore, is aimed at examining the effects of temperature on somatic development in Malayemys macrocephala, a native species and the most common freshwater turtle in Thailand. Turtle eggs were collected from rice fields in the central part of Thailand during December 2011 to February 2012 inclusive. Eggs (237-238 per condition) were incubated in microprocessor-controlled incubators at three different temperatures (26 degrees C, 29 degrees C and 32 degrees C) with a relative humidity in excess of 80%. Each week, until the remaining eggs hatched, eggs were randomly selected, removed and dissected to reveal the developing embryo to screen for developmental stage and any abnormalities. The incubation period (lay to hatch) was not significantly different among the three temperatures (115 +/- 11.3 d, 115 +/- 20.3 d and 109 +/- 17.8 d, respectively), but the growth patterns, as indicated by the stages of development and carapace lengths, were significantly different. At a high temperature (32 degrees C), turtle embryos showed a significantly faster growth rate than at the intermediate and low temperatures (29 degrees C and 26 degrees C), but had a significantly (over 3.3-fold) higher incidence of developmental abnormalities (especially deformed bodies) than at the lower temperatures. Overall, the results indicate that incubation temperature is an important variable affecting the somatic development of this tropical freshwater turtle species, whilst abnormalities in the embryonic body may be a sensitive indicator of extreme thermal stress.