Faculty, Student Researchers Study Turtle Nests Amid Warming Climate

Faculty, Student Researchers Study Turtle Nests Amid Warming Climate

Caleb Lawrence was looking for a turtle.

As he wandered the gently swaying grasses of a prairie in western Lucas County on a warm Friday in June, he was actually looking for one very specific spotted turtle.

He turned his hand-held antenna to the left, then the right, gauging the strength of the signal picked up by the receiver he wore on a strap over his chest. Then he took a step forward, repeating the process until he spotted her - the only turtle he and his research team were monitoring that had yet to nest.

"Still gravid," he confirmed, scooping her up for a quick inspection.

But tonight was likely the night this turtle would finally lay her eggs, he predicted before he gently set her back down. So he and his team would be monitoring her closely over the next hours, ready to tuck a temperature logger into her nest in continuance of a two-year research project to investigate the effect of climate change on a species that's currently under review for protection under the Endangered Species Act.

"In almost all turtles, the sex of the babies is determined by the temperature that the eggs incubate. In most turtles, warmer temperatures produce female babies, and cooler temperatures produce male babies," explained Dr. Jeanine Refsnider, who's leading the research as a professor of ecology in The University of Toledo's College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. "That's a big concern with a warming climate. If the population stops producing one of the sexes, it isn't going to be able to reproduce for much longer."

The research, which is supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is now in its second summer of data collection under the direction of June Davison, a master's student in ecology and organismal biology , and her team of four undergraduate field technicians including Lawrence. It's one example of the rich opportunities for experiential learning that are integral to the student experience at UToledo.

"It's absolutely a privilege to come out here and see things that other people aren't able to see," said Lawrence, an environmental sciences senior, comparing off-the-beaten-path wanderings in pursuit of turtles to the experience of the average visitor to the prairie. "If a turtle leads me, I'm excited to see where we go."

UToledo is recognized among the top-tier research universities in the country with the prestigious R1 Classification in the latest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, and Refsnider brings nationally recognized expertise to this project.

Refsnider and her undergraduate and graduate students have been studying turtles for years, utilizing radio telemetry equipment to track them according to the unique frequencies transmitted by electronic devices attached to their shells. They most recently identified concerning rates of inbreeding among local populations of eastern box turtles in research published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

The current project furthers this investigation into population decline and species survival with a specific focus on climate. In analyzing nesting conditions and behaviors in their sample population, they aim to discover whether spotted turtles may have an inherent ability to compensate for warmer-than-usual temperatures, as existing research suggests, or whether they may benefit from human intervention.

"If we find there aren't enough male-producing sites, for example, we might suggest that land managers introduce shade into the nesting habitat," Refsnider suggested.

Conservation is a cause that resonates with Lawrence, who grew up in Toledo and followed a lifelong love of animals to his hometown University. He'd initially landed a job at a local machine shop upon earning his high school diploma from the Toledo Technology Academy, but he quickly came to realize that his heart wasn't in it.

"I've always loved animals," he said. "So I decided to take a chance on my dreams."

Lawrence began studying toward a biology degree, then shifted to environmental sciences, where his coursework put him in touch with Davison. He recalled that she didn't sugar-coat conditions when she explained her research in her pitch to recruit field technicians - bulky waders, buzzing mosquitoes, late nights that stretch into early mornings.

That didn't dissuade him from signing up, or, now in his second summer on the project, from still thoroughly enjoying his recent evening as he and his team checked their cohort of tagged turtles and waited for their holdout to finally lay her eggs.

"I love being able to be out here and do this," Lawrence said.

He hopes to use the experience to position himself for a career in conservation. And given the employer interest his resume has already attracted online, he said, that future feels well within reach.

"I can't wait to see what I get once I get my degree," he said.