DOI: 10.5061/dryad.6hdr7sr9c
title: Developmental timing of flash drought influences offspring survival in the field

description: Extreme climate events, including rapid-onset flash droughts, are
 increasing with anthropogenic climate change. Flash droughts impact growth
 and survival of plants, microbes, and invertebrates, yet less is known
 about their ecological consequences in vertebrates. Although constant
 water deprivation during vertebrate embryonic development influences a
 range of offspring traits, the effects of acute, short-term hydric stress
 are less well-studied, particularly in the context of subsequent survival
 in the field. In this study, we combined experimental manipulation in the
 laboratory with a large-scale field experiment to examine the effects of
 the developmental timing of flash drought in an oviparous vertebrate
 model. We exposed common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) eggs to
 simulated flash drought events at different stages of embryonic
 development and measured the effects on growth and offspring phenotypes.
 We then conducted an experimental release in the field to evaluate
 offspring survival during migration from the nest. Flash drought during
 mid-to-late development decreased egg mass, incubation time, and hatchling
 body size, while flash drought during late development substantially
 limited post-hatching survival in the field. This study is among the first
 to examine juvenile survival effects of flash drought during embryonic
 development in a vertebrate system. Our results suggest that early-life
 mortality is likely to increase as flash droughts intensify with climate
 change. This study contributes to a growing body of research on the
 ecological consequences of extreme climate events and highlights the
 importance of considering these events in a developmental context.
description: # Developmental timing of flash drought influences offspring survival in
 the field Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.6hdr7sr9c](10.5061/dryad.6hdr7sr9c)
 ## Description of the data and file structure In this study, we exposed
 200 common snapping turtle *(Chelydra serpentina)* eggs to one of 5
 different flash drought treatments during embryonic development and
 measured the effects on growth and offspring phenotypes. We then conducted
 an experimental release in the field to evaluate offspring survival during
 migration from the nest. ### Files and variables #### File:
 Chelydra\_serpentina\_data.csv **Description:** All data for each
 individual ##### Variables * Box: The box (1-10) in which eggs were housed
 during incubation * Treatment: Control treatment (WWW), early drought
 (DWW), mid-incubation drought (WDW), late drought (WWD), or mid + late
 drought (WDD) * Early: Treatment during the first trimester of
 development; W (no drought) or D (drought) * Mid: Treatment during the
 second trimester of development; W (no drought) or D (drought) * Late:
 Treatment during the third trimester of development; W (no drought) or D
 (drought) * ID: Code assigned to each individual in the study
 (clutch-individual) * Clutch: The clutch (1-10) from which the egg
 originated * Individual: Egg number (1-20) within the clutch * Wk0mass:
 Initial egg mass at the beginning of the study (g) * Wk1mass: Egg mass at
 1 week (g) * Wk2mass: Egg mass at 2 weeks (g) * Wk3mass: Egg mass at 3
 weeks (g) * Wk4mass: Egg mass at 4 weeks (g) * Wk5mass: Egg mass at 5
 weeks (g); "NA" indicates an egg that failed to develop to this
 stage * Wk6mass: Egg mass at 6 weeks (g); "NA" indicates an egg
 that failed to develop to this stage * Wk7mass: Egg mass at 7 weeks (g);
 "NA" indicates an egg that failed to develop to this stage *
 Wk8mass: Egg mass at 8 weeks (g); "NA" indicates an egg that
 failed to develop to this stage * Wk9mass: Egg mass at 9 weeks (g);
 "NA" indicates an egg that failed to develop to this stage or
 had already hatched * Days to pip: Incubation time (d) until pipping of
 eggshell; "NA" indicates an egg that did not pip, or the pip
 date was unknown * Days to hatch: Incubation time (d) until hatchling
 emergence from egg; "NA" indicates an egg that did not hatch *
 Pip date: Date of eggshell pipping (mm/dd/yy); "NA" indicates an
 egg that did not pip, or the pip date was unknown * Hatch date: Date of
 hatching (mm/dd/yy); "NA" indicates an egg that did not hatch *
 Hatch success: Individual hatched (1) or did not hatch (0) * Hatchling
 mass: Mass 24 h after hatching (g); "NA" indicates that no
 hatchling was produced * CL: Carapace length (mm); "NA"
 indicates that no hatchling was produced * CW: Carapace width (mm);
 "NA" indicates that no hatchling was produced * PL: Plastron
 length (mm); "NA" indicates that no hatchling was produced * PW:
 Plastron width (mm); "NA" indicates that no hatchling was
 produced * Release date: Beginning of experimental release (mm/dd/yy);
 "NA" indicates that no hatchling was released * RP: Release
 point/ artificial nest cavity (A, B, C, or D); "NA" indicates
 that no hatchling was released * Pit: Pitfall trap in which individual was
 recaptured (1-17); "NA" indicates that no hatchling was released
 or that the individual was not recaptured * Recap: Individual recaptured
 (1) or not recaptured (0); ; "NA" indicates that no hatchling
 was released * Days to recap: Days from release to recapture;
 "NA" indicates that no hatchling was released or that the
 individual was not recaptured * Hours to recap: Hours from release to
 recapture; "NA" indicates that no hatchling was released or that
 the individual was not recaptured * Recap date: Date of recapture
 (mm/dd/yy); "NA" indicates that no hatchling was released or
 that the individual was not recaptured * Recap time: Time of recapture;
 "NA" indicates that no hatchling was released or that the
 individual was not recaptured * End mass: Mass at recapture (g);
 "NA" indicates that no hatchling was released or that the
 individual was not recaptured #### File: Datasheet\_byWeek.csv
 **Description:** Reconfiguration of data for repeated measures analysis
 ##### Variables * Box: The box (1-10) in which eggs were housed during
 incubation * Treatment: Control treatment (WWW), early drought (DWW),
 mid-incubation drought (WDW), late drought (WWD), or mid + late drought
 (WDD) * ID: Code assigned to each individual in the study
 (clutch-individual) * Week: The week of incubation (1-8) * Eggmass: Egg
 mass (g) at this week; "NA" indicates an egg that failed to
 develop to this stage * Wk0mass: Initial egg mass at the beginning of the
 study (g) * Clutch: The clutch (1-10) from which the egg originated