The influence of incubation temperature on offspring traits varies across northern and southern populations of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Smaga, Christopher R.; Bock, Samantha L.; Johnson, Josiah M.; Rainwater, Thomas; Singh, Randeep; Deem, Vincent; Letter, Andrew; Brunell, Arnold; Parrott, Benjamin B.

doi:10.1002/ece3.10915

The influence of incubation temperature on offspring traits varies across northern and southern populations of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Journal Article · Thu Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2024 · Ecology and Evolution

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10915· OSTI ID:2472263

^[1]; Bock, Samantha L. ^[2]; Johnson, Josiah M. ^[2]; Rainwater, Thomas ^[3]; Singh, Randeep ^[4]; Deem, Vincent ^[5]; Letter, Andrew ^[5]; Brunell, Arnold ^[5]; Parrott, Benjamin B. ^[2]

University of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States); University of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL); OSTI
University of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States); University of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL)
Clemson University, Georgetown, SC (United States); Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, Georgetown, SC (United States)
Clemson University, Georgetown, SC (United States)
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Gainesville FL (United States). Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

Maternal provisioning and the developmental environment are fundamental determinants of offspring traits, particularly in oviparous species. However, the extent to which embryonic responses to these factors differ across populations to drive phenotypic variation is not well understood. Here, we examine the contributions of maternal provisioning and incubation temperature to hatchling morphological and metabolic traits across four populations of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), encompassing a large portion of the species' latitudinal range. Our results show that whereas the influence of egg mass is generally consistent across populations, responses to incubation temperature show population-level variation in several traits, including mass, head length, head width, and residual yolk mass. Additionally, the influence of incubation temperature on developmental rate is greater at northern populations, while the allocation of maternal resources toward fat body mass is greater at southern populations. Overall, our results suggest that responses to incubation temperature, relative to maternal provisioning, are a larger source of interpopulation phenotypic variation and may contribute to the local adaptation of populations.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: University of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)

Grant/Contract Number:: EM0004391

OSTI ID:: 2472263

Journal Information:: Ecology and Evolution, Journal Name: Ecology and Evolution Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 14; ISSN 2045-7758

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
developmental plasticity
life history
maternal provisioning
temperature-dependent sex determination

The influence of incubation temperature on offspring traits varies across northern and southern populations of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

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