Camile Kynoch
PhD candidate
Camille obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences and Biology from Florida State University in 2021. While there, she worked as part of a sea turtle research and conservation group focusing on understanding anthropomorphic threats to sea turtles. After graduation, she was a field technician for many sea turtle nesting projects in the US Virgin Islands, Southwest Florida, USA, Costa Rica and Brazil. During this time, Camille completed research on the natal origins of juvenile green turtles that forage in the Bahamas, and the adaptation potential of leatherback sea turtles to climate change. Before beginning her PhD at Monash University, she worked as a lab manager for the sea turtle research group at Florida State University.
Camille’s PhD research concentrates on how flatback sea turtles mating systems will respond to anthropomorphic climate change. Sea turtles have temperature dependent sex determination, in which cooler temperatures produce males, and warmer females. A few degree increase in temperature can have major implications for sex ratios, therefore climate change is predicted to feminise sea turtle primary sex ratios. However, sea turtles have complicated mating behaviours in which feminine primary sex ratios often result in balanced adult sex ratios. Flatback sea turtles, which are endemic to Australia, are listed as Data Deficient in the IUCN database. Very little is known about their mating systems and how future potential male limitation may affect population viability and genetic diversity. Camille’s PhD will explore these themes with an overarching goal of informing management for conservation of flatback populations.
Co-supervised by Dr Sean Williamson, Monash University