Justin R Perrault

As a marine scientist with a focus on health and impacts of toxicants/toxins, climate change, and other anthropogenic impacts on marine organisms, I employ monitoring techniques to test hypotheses regarding the impacts of trace elements, biotoxins, and climate change on reproductive success and health parameters in sea turtles, in addition to other marine and terrestrial animals. Sea turtles serve as model organisms for toxicological and health experiments due to their long lives, large prey consumption, and migratory behavior. Additionally, some experience low reproductive success due to increasing nest temperatures and exposure to contaminants, while others have shown signs of reduced immune function in the presence of toxins and toxicants. Additionally, reptiles, especially sea turtles, are vastly underrepresented in the toxicological field with many studies calling for action to increase the research in this field and establish toxicological thresholds in sentinel species that can act as models for marine turtles.