Phenological plasticity provides limited resilience to climate warming in a sea turtle species with temperature-dependent sex determination

Researchers monitored season-wide hatchling sex ratios and emergence success in a small green turtle (Chelonia mydas) population, tracking individual nesting events. Because incubation temperature determines offspring sex in sea turtles, climate warming threatens to skew populations toward all-female cohorts. The study found that while turtles exhibited some seasonal shifts in reproductive output, this phenological plasticity was insufficient to fully offset warming-induced feminization and embryonic mortality. The findings underscore that behavioral adjustments alone cannot safeguard sea turtle populations and that effective conservation will require broader climate mitigation or active interventions. Further work is needed to assess whether similar constraints apply across other populations and species.