Egg failure in natural and relocated sea turtle nests

Abstract

Eggs of loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta often fail to hatch. Standard methods of estimating infertility of eggs produce overestimates. High species diversity of bacteria within eggs or the occurrence of the same bacteria in both females and their eggs was correlated with lower hatching success. Eggs relocated to polystyrene incubators had higher hatching success than did eggs reburied in other beach sites. Eggs in undisturbed natural nests had lower hatching success than relocated eggs. Thus, egg relocation is an effective conservation method, provided sites are chosen carefully. -from Authors