Reproductive investment by green turtles nesting on Ascension Island

Clutch sizes and egg sizes were measured for Chelonia mydas nesting on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, Mean number of eggs per clutch was 127.5 (SD 22.9). Number of eggs per clutch increased in larger turtles and declined as the nesting season progressed. Three turtles laid significantly smaller eggs than the rest of the sample. When these three clutches were removed from the analysis, mean egg size increased in larger turtles. When the effect of female body size was removed there was no relationship between number and size of eggs in a clutch. Egg size varied systematicaly within clutches, the largest eggs being laid first and the smallest eggs last. This intraclutch variation in egg size had important consequences for the calculated gradient of the relationship between egg size and adult size. -from Authors