Data from: How well do embryo development rate models derived from laboratory data predict embryo development in sea turtle nests?

Field measurements of nest temperature, incubation period, and the hatch‐to‐emerge time The field procedures were similar for loggerhead and green turtle clutches, but the field locations and times were different. Experiments with loggerhead turtle clutches were conducted at Mon Repos Beach between December 6, 2019 and February 15, 2020, and experiments with green turtle clutches were conducted at Heron Island between December 13, 2020 and February 9, 2021. A nesting female was located, and immediately after oviposition had finished, her eggs were collected into a bucket and carried by hand to an area of the nesting beach which was corralled to prevent subsequent nesting turtles from disturbing monitored nests. An artificial nest hole was dug by hand to a depth of 60 cm (loggerhead turtles) or 70 cm (green turtles) and the collected eggs placed into this hole. When approximately 50 eggs had been placed in the hole, an iButton temperature data logger (iButton™ Maxim, Model DS1922L, resolution of 0.06°C, accuracy ± 0.2°C) programmed to log temperature every hour was placed in the nest and then the remainder of the eggs were placed on top of the logger in the nest. The hole was then backfilled with sand and the nest site marked with a wooden stake. The clutch collection and relocation procedures were completed within 1 h of the end of oviposition. The clutch was then left to incubate naturally on the beach. Two weeks before the clutch was expected to hatch, the nest was excavated by hand until the top layer of eggs was exposed, and a “hatching detector” was installed. The hatching detector consisted of a ~2‐mm‐wide strip of aluminum foil 15 cm long that was placed either beneath the top layer of eggs (loggerhead turtles) or on top of the incubating eggs (green turtles), and the ends of the foil were connected via alligator clips to wires that lead to the surface. The nest was then back‐filled with sand and left to continue incubation. Thereafter, between six and eight times per day the ends of the wires at the surface were connected to a 9‐ volt transistor battery in a series circuit with a 1000 ohm resistor. A voltmeter was then used to measure the electrical potential (emf) (V) across the resistor. When the aluminum foil strip was intact, the emf was always ~9 V, but when it was broken (by hatchlings as they emerged from their eggs) the emf fell dramatically to between 2 and 5 V. The emf did not fall to zero when the aluminum strip was broken because electricity continued to be conducted via ions dissolved in water within the sand in the nest between the broken ends of the aluminum strip. The time when the emf fell from 9 V was recorded as the hatch date and time.

本数据集涵盖巢穴温度、孵化周期及破壳至出巢时间的野外实测数据。蠵龟（loggerhead）与绿海龟（green turtle）产卵窝的野外实验流程相近，但实验地点与时间存在差异。其中，蠵龟产卵窝的实验于2019年12月6日至2020年2月15日在蒙雷波斯海滩（Mon Repos Beach）开展，绿海龟产卵窝的实验则于2020年12月13日至2021年2月9日在赫伦岛（Heron Island）进行。研究人员首先定位筑巢雌龟，待其完成产卵后，立即将卵收集至桶中，徒手搬运至围蔽的海滩区域，以避免后续筑巢海龟干扰受监测的巢穴。随后徒手挖掘人工巢穴：蠵龟巢穴深度为60 cm，绿海龟巢穴深度为70 cm，将收集的卵置入其中。当放入约50枚卵时，将一台经编程设置为每小时记录一次温度的iButton温度数据记录仪（iButton™ Maxim，型号DS1922L，分辨率0.06°C，精度±0.2°C）放入巢内，随后将剩余卵放置于记录仪上方。之后用沙子回填巢穴，并以木桩标记巢穴位置。整个产卵窝的收集与移置流程需在产卵结束后1小时内完成。随后让产卵窝在海滩上自然孵化。在预计孵化前两周，徒手挖掘巢穴至露出顶层卵，安装“破巢检测器”。该检测器由一条长15 cm、宽约2 mm的铝箔条构成：对于蠵龟，将铝箔条置于顶层卵下方；对于绿海龟，则置于孵化卵的上方。铝箔条的两端通过鳄鱼夹连接至引出至地表的导线。随后用沙子回填巢穴，继续等待其自然孵化。此后，每日需6至8次将地表的导线末端连接至由9V晶体管电池、1000Ω电阻组成的串联电路中，随后使用电压表测量电阻两端的电势（电动势，emf，单位V）。当铝箔条完好时，电动势始终约为9 V；当铝箔条被幼龟破壳而出时断裂，电动势会急剧下降至2~5 V。由于铝箔断裂端之间的巢内沙粒中溶解的离子仍可导电，因此电动势不会降至0 V。研究人员将电动势从9 V下降的时刻记录为破壳日期与时间。