La maggior parte delle 200'000 tartarughe verdi (Chelonia Mydas), presenti nella Grande barriera corallina settentrionale, sono femmine. Il cambiamento, secondo i biologi, è dovuto alle temperature sempre più elevate che influenzano e determinano il sesso durante il periodo di incubazione delle uova dell'animale.
Tra le tartarughe verdi dominano le donne... a causa del clima
"Questo andamento – sostiene uno studio pubblicato lunedì sulla rivista scientifica Current Biology – potrebbe minacciare questa popolazione, tra le più grandi del mondo". Attraverso l'endocrinologia e i test genetici, gli scienziati marini, sono stati in grado di identificare il sesso delle tartarughe verdi e le origini del loro vivaio. Due popolazioni geneticamente distinte coesistono infatti nella Grande barriera corallina: una alleva nel sud e l'altra nel nord, specialmente nelle isole di Raine e Moulter Cay.
Il 99,1% dei giovani, e l'86,8% degli adulti, a nord della barriera sono femmine. Nelle acque più fredde, quelle a sud, i maschi sono invece il 65%.
ATS/MABO
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