From refugia to rookeries: Phylogeography of Atlantic green turtles

Naro‐Maciel, Eugênia; Reid, Brendan N.; Alter, S. Elizabeth; Amato, George; Bjorndal, Karen A.; Bolten, Alan B.; Martin, Meredith P.; Nairn, Campbell J.; Shamblin, Brian M.; Pineda-Catalan, Oscar

doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2014.08.020

Cited by 41 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 86 publications

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“…All but one had been previously described in populations in the Caribbean Sea, South America, South Atlantic (Ascension Island; Formia, Godley, Dontaine, & Bruford, ) and Africa (Shamblin, Bagley et al, ; Shamblin, Dutton et al, ). The haplotypes found in our samples belonged to different lineages as defined in the literature (Naro‐Maciel et al, ): most haplotypes belonged to lineage A (84%), which is typically found in the Caribbean, while the rest belonged to lineage B (Figure ) typically found in South America, South Atlantic and Africa (Patrício et al, ; Shamblin, Bagley et al, ; Shamblin, Dutton et al, ). CM‐A5.1 is the only haplotype of lineage B found shared by both the captive and the wild populations; however, this haplotype is not exclusive of the South Atlantic region and can be found in other wild populations of the Caribbean region (Naro‐Maciel et al, ).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 52%

“…When the CTF was founded, eggs and adults from different populations in the Caribbean Sea and the South Atlantic Ocean were taken to the farm to divide the impact of the removal of individuals among different populations (Cayman Turtle Farm, ). However, this strategy had an additional unexpected effect, because later studies demonstrated the profound genetic structuring among Atlantic nesting beaches (Naro‐Maciel et al, , and references therein). Farm haplotypes in fact belong to both lineage A and lineage B, described by Naro‐Maciel et al () from the Caribbean and from the South Atlantic/Africa region, respectively, consistent with the reported origin of the founder stock.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How many came home? Evaluating ex situ conservation of green turtles in the Cayman Islands

et al. 2019

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Ex situ management is an important conservation tool that allows the preservation of biological diversity outside natural habitats while supporting survival in the wild. Captive breeding followed by re‐introduction is a possible approach for endangered species conservation and preservation of genetic variability. The Cayman Turtle Centre Ltd was established in 1968 to market green turtle (Chelonia mydas) meat and other products and replenish wild populations, thought to be locally extirpated, through captive breeding. We evaluated the effects of this re‐introduction programmme using molecular markers (13 microsatellites, 800‐bp D‐loop and simple tandem repeat mitochondrial DNA sequences) from captive breeders (N = 257) and wild nesting females (N = 57) (sampling period: 2013–2015). We divided the captive breeders into three groups: founders (from the original stock), and then two subdivisions of F1 individuals corresponding to two different management strategies, cohort 1995 (“C1995”) and multicohort F1 (“MCF1”). Loss of genetic variability and increased relatedness was observed in the captive stock over time. We found no significant differences in diversity among captive and wild groups, and similar or higher levels of haplotype variability when compared to other natural populations. Using parentage and sibship assignment, we determined that 90% of the wild individuals were related to the captive stock. Our results suggest a strong impact of the re‐introduction programmme on the present recovery of the wild green turtle population nesting in the Cayman Islands. Moreover, genetic relatedness analyses of captive populations are necessary to improve future management actions to maintain genetic diversity in the long term and avoid inbreeding depression.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 52%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How many came home? Evaluating ex situ conservation of green turtles in the Cayman Islands

et al. 2019

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“…These results correspond with recent findings in other species such as leatherbacks, where using mtDNA alone distinguished seven populations in the Atlantic, but using microsatellites it was clear that there were nine populations . However, in western Atlantic green turtles, microsatellites discerned population structure that was congruent with but weaker than that identified by mtDNA control region sequences (Naro-Maciel et al, 2014a). Thus, while it is clear that combining mtDNA and nuclear markers can provide insight into male-mediated gene flow and population boundaries, patterns may differ between regions and species, and additional studies are needed to clarify their generality and context dependencies.…”

Section: Nuclear Markersmentioning

confidence: 87%

“…Perhaps the most important advances to this field have been made through expanded sample collections that provide key insights informing designation of units to conserve on a global scale, such as Evolutionary Significant Units (ESUs), Distinct Population Segments (DPSs), and Regional Management Units (RMUs; see Box 2, Table 1 for definitions and applications of conservation units). As sample coverage continues to improve for all species in parallel with better analytical tools, marine turtle studies continue to explore questions of past glacial refuges (e.g., Hamabata et al, 2013;Naro-Maciel et al, 2014a), colonization routes (Dutton et al, 2014a;Shamblin et al, 2014;Gaos et al, 2016), and multiple colonization events that create such complexity in marine turtle phylogeographic patterns (e.g., Dethmers et al, 2006;Vargas et al, 2016). The field of marine turtle phylogeography will undoubtedly continue to advance in coming years with the development of genomic approaches and novel analytical tools.…”

Section: Evolutionary History and Phylogeographymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, we highlight several promising avenues on the horizon, recognizing that there are many more possibilities that will likely emerge. First, integrating genetic tools with complementary data types (such as stable isotopes, skeletochronology, hormones, telemetry, unmanned aerial vehicles, and oceanographic modeling) has recently provided novel insight into marine turtle biology Naro-Maciel et al, 2014a). Many of these fields are undergoing revolutionary technological advances akin to those occurring in genomics, so the potential for combined novel applications will likely continue to grow into the future.…”

Section: Emerging Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Advances in the Application of Genetics in Marine Turtle Biology and Conservation

et al. 2017

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Marine turtles migrate across long distances, exhibit complex life histories, and occupy habitats that are difficult to observe. These factors present substantial challenges to understanding fundamental aspects of their biology or assessing human impacts, many of which are important for the effective conservation of these threatened and endangered species. The early development and application of genetic tools made important contributions to understanding marine turtle population and evolutionary biology, such as providing evidence of regional natal homing by breeding adults, establishing connectivity between rookeries and foraging habitats, and determining phylogeography and broad scale stock structure for most marine turtle species. Recent innovations in molecular technologies, statistical methods, and creative application of genetic tools have significantly built upon this knowledge to address key questions in marine turtle biology and conservation management. Here, we evaluate the latest major advances and potential of marine turtle genetic applications, including improved resolution and large-scale syntheses of population structure, connectivity and phylogeography, estimation of key demographic rates such as age to maturity and operational or breeding sex ratios, insight into reproductive strategies and behavior, and assessment of differential human impacts among populations. We then discuss remaining challenges and emerging capabilities, such as rapid, multiplexed genotyping, and investigation of the genomic underpinnings of adaptive variation afforded by high-throughput sequencing technologies.

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Mitochondrial DNA short tandem repeats unveil hidden population structuring and migration routes of an endangered marine turtle

Tikochinski

Bradshaw

Mastrogiacomo³

et al. 2018

Aquatic Conservation

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The assessment of the composition and dynamics of endangered populations is crucial for management and conservation, and appropriate genetic markers are critical. The genetic structuring of the Mediterranean green turtle (Chelonia mydas) populations and the origin of the stranded animals found along the Israeli coast was investigated using new highly polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) markers. The structuring of nesting populations was studied using pairwise genetic distances and a principal coordinates analysis (PCoA). The contribution of the different nesting populations to the stranded sample was assessed by using a mixed‐stock analysis. A clear population genetic structure, not detected before, has been revealed. The four nesting populations are genetically well differentiated, and thus should be considered as different management units. The populations from Turkey and Israel showed higher resemblance, despite residing at opposite ends of the Mediterranean distribution. The Turkish nesting population is the main source of the stranded turtles sampled along the Israeli shore, confirming that individuals from this population migrate from north to south along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, as previously shown by telemetry studies. The use of a highly polymorphic haplotyping method enabled the detection of a clear genetic structuring of the green turtle populations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that was not revealed in previous studies, demonstrating the importance of marker selection in population genetics. The analysis of the genetic composition of the stranded turtles allowed us to investigate the migration patterns from nesting to foraging areas, supporting previous satellite‐tracking and stable‐isotope results. These results will help to delineate conservation management units for the species in the Mediterranean, and reveal connectivity among beaches and mixed aggregations.

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From refugia to rookeries: Phylogeography of Atlantic green turtles

Cited by 41 publications

References 86 publications

How many came home? Evaluating ex situ conservation of green turtles in the Cayman Islands

How many came home? Evaluating ex situ conservation of green turtles in the Cayman Islands

Advances in the Application of Genetics in Marine Turtle Biology and Conservation

Mitochondrial DNA short tandem repeats unveil hidden population structuring and migration routes of an endangered marine turtle

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