Assignment tests applied to relocate individuals of unknown origin in a threatened species, the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis)

Abstract

Abstract. The pet trade is an important business around the world and one of the factors that might menace some wild populations. If wild animals are collected to maintain them as pets, this activity can produce several problems: i) an increase of population vulnerability, especially in the case of rare species; ii) the release of exotic pets in natural habitats, with the risk of competition with native species and the spreading of parasites and diseases, and iii) the maintenance of animals of unknown origin in Recovery Centres or zoos, which if too numerous are sacrificed or re-located to their supposed original regions. In this paper, we used seven microsatellite loci to analyze genetic diversity and genetic structure of the European pond turtle (Emys obicularis) covering the species range in the Iberian Peninsula. A Bayesian test revealed a genotypic differentiation between the regions sampled where most individuals (90%) were assigned to their sampling location with a probability higher than 95%. The likelihood values for individuals from Recovery Centres to came from one of our populations was higher than 90% in 22 out of 36 individuals. This work is a first step to relocate animals of unknown origin taking into account genetic similarities and contribute to reinforcement programs of endangered species.

Wildlife across our borders: a review of the illegal trade in Australia

“…Identifying the geographic origins of a seizure can be used to distinguish between commercial trade and poaching 39 , identify areas where taxa are most vulnerable to illegal collection 40 , and to repatriate seized animals and plants to their place of origin 41 . Unique DNA profiles can also be generated for individuals.…”

Where are you from, stranger? The enigmatic biogeography of North African pond turtles (Emys orbicularis)

“…While the knowledge of the phylogeography and taxonomy of European and Sicilian pond turtles has increased steadily during the past 25 years (Fritz 1996(Fritz , 1998(Fritz , 2001(Fritz , 2003Lenk et al 1999;Fritz et al 2004Fritz et al , 2005Fritz et al , 2006aFritz et al , 2009aSommer et al 2007Sommer et al , 2009Velo-Antón et al 2007, 2008, 2011Pedall et al 2011), the North African populations remain poorly studied. For instance, several studies accumulated a large, nearly range-wide data set of more than 1,550 sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene for phylogeographic purposes (Lenk et al 1999;Fritz et al 2004Fritz et al , 2005Fritz et al , 2006aFritz et al , 2009aSommer et al 2009;Velo-Antón et al 2011).…”

DNA detective: a review of molecular approaches to wildlife forensics

“…When the turtles become too numerous to maintain in these facilities they are sacrificed or re-located to their supposed region of origin. Characterisation of three turtle populations at seven microsatellite loci assigned 22 of 36 turtles in recovery centres to their population of origin [125]. Releasing turtles that have been genotypically assigned to the population reduces the risk of outbreeding depression, which is a reduction in reproductive output and fitness that can result when two genetically distinct populations interbreed.…”