Haplotypic characterization of the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in northwest Mexico: the northernmost limit of its distribution. The olive ridley sea turtle (L. olivacea) has a pantropical distribution. In the Eastern Pacific, the official limits of its reproduction area are south of the Baja California peninsula and south of Sinaloa, Mexico. Ceuta beach in Elota, Sinaloa, Mexico, has served as a protection site for L. olivacea for over three decades. In this study, the L. olivacea population from Ceuta beach was genetically characterized. Specifically, a 712-bp fragment from the control region of mtDNA was amplified from 32 olive ridley turtles. Eight haplotypes (seven after cutting to ~468 bp) were identified, and these included two novel haplotypes (Lo-T7 and Lo-T8) and five haplotypes that were previously identified in other nesting beaches. The Lo-T2 haplotype was dominant (~60 %) in the samples: h = 0.6048 (± 0.0974) and π = 0.002212 (± 0.001504). Although this study was conducted in the northernmost limit of the olive ridley turtle nesting distribution in the eastern Pacific, the sampled group presents moderate genetic diversity and belongs to a population that, on an evolutionary scale, only recently underwent demographic expansion. Because the olive ridley turtle in the eastern Pacific is considered resilient to environmental variation, nesting area studies in northwest Mexico are necessary.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.