Mitochondrial DNA reveals the natal origin of <i>Caretta caretta</i> (Testudines: Cheloniidae) stranded or bycaught along the Southwestern Adriatic coasts

Splendiani, Andrea; Fioravanti, Tatiana; Giovannotti, Massimo; D'Amore, A.; Furii, Giovanni; Totaro, Giovanni; Cerioni, Paola Nisi; Lucchetti, Alessandro; Barucchi, Vincenzo Caputo

doi:10.1080/24750263.2017.1400597

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Genetic data from the eight analysed nests indicated that the most common mtDNA CR haplotype is CC-A2.1, which is commonly proposed as the ancestral lineage for the Mediterranean Sea and was possibly introduced from the Atlantic Ocean by colonizing females in the last post-glacial period [ 20 , 21 , 41 , 55 ]. Currently, CC-A2.1 is the most commonly encountered haplotype, present in more than 60% of the free-living Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles [ 21 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. This haplotype dominates most Mediterranean nests and has been detected in all nesting areas studied [ 22 , 41 , 59 , 61 , 62 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation Genetics of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Caretta caretta, from the Central Mediterranean: An Insight into the Species’ Reproductive Behaviour in Maltese Waters

Vella,

Vella

2023

Animals

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Loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758), nestlings were investigated through specimens found dead either after hatching or unhatched (n = 120) from eight nests around the Maltese islands (Central Mediterranean). Molecular genetics was used to conduct maternity and paternity tests of the collected specimens utilizing expanded mitochondrial DNA sequences from the control region (858 bp) and 25 microsatellite loci (12 dinucleotide loci and 13 tetranucleotide loci). Mitochondrial data produced two haplotypes, CC-A2.1 and CC-A3.1, with the most common haplotype being present in seven nests. Microsatellite data revealed the identity of six different females that were involved in the deposition of the eggs in the eight turtle nests analysed. This confirms that two females laid multiple nests. Additionally, microsatellite data allowed for the determination of multiple paternity, with one clutch being sired by two fathers. These results are useful for monitoring the genetic diversity of loggerhead sea turtle nestlings and of the turtle mothers and fathers contributing to future turtle offspring, which rely on Maltese sandy beaches for their successful start to life. Effective conservation management benefits from merging scientific knowledge with effective measures at potential nesting sites to avoid losses of nestlings caused by human negligence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation Genetics of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Caretta caretta, from the Central Mediterranean: An Insight into the Species’ Reproductive Behaviour in Maltese Waters

Vella,

Vella

2023

Animals

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“…Analysis using the short fragment have shown no signi cant differences between Libyan and Tunisian rookeries, but due to several hundred kilometres of separation Shamblin et al (2014) suggested that these might be demographically isolated nesting populations. A distinction, with the shorter D-loop sequence, between the haplotype CC-A2.9 and the widely distributed haplotype CC-A2.1 is not possible (Splendiani et al 2017), and given the fact that CC-A2.9 is common in Libya, it has been proposed that reanalysing the Tunisian samples using the longer D-loop fragment is crucial (Shamblin et al 2014). So far only for MSA the long fragment was used (Sami et al 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, by creating a phylogenetic tree it was possible for them to see the phylogenetic relatedness to CC-A26.1 which is exclusive to Libya (Shamblin et al 2014). For this reason, Splendiani et al (2017) suggested that CC-A71.1 could be from a Libyan rookery. Our ndings support this proposition since one specimen from Sirte, Libya carrying this haplotype was detected.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased Sample Size Proved More Insights for the Population Structure of Mediterranean Loggerhead Sea Turtles

Kaska

Koç²,

Sözbilen

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), has the broadest distribution among sea turtle species in the Mediterranean and requires regional and international collaborations in addition to local efforts to better inform conservation actions. Molecular techniques are powerful tools to assess population dynamics at large scales, especially by determining the connectivity among different nesting and foraging sites, and genetic diversity. In this study, a large sample was collected synchronously in the nesting areas located in the north, south and east of the Mediterranean. Recently described nesting sites from Albania and other nesting sites represented by lower sample size were also included in order to fully assess the genetic composition of the region’s rookeries. Samples from 710 individuals were collected and the longer (815 bp) mtDNA D-loop fragment of these samples was amplified. We recorded 15 haplotypes, three of which were novel. In addition, our results show that some haplotypes, considered of Atlantic origin, have a wider dispersal in the Mediterranean than previously thought, albeit with low levels of representation. Our results, which also contribute to determining the likely origin of haplotypes that were previously known only from foraging sites, highlight the utility of broad-scale sampling, with increased sample number and longer mtDNA sequence to determine genetic diversity and connectivity. This study also demonstrates that it is important to continue to monitor the contribution of Atlantic origin haplotypes to the Mediterranean population, and the resident Mediterranean population, which is expected to expand its geographical range for reproduction with the effect of climate change and climate change in the long term. This work is important for, among other things, mixed stock analyses (MSA) that seek to localize the origin of stranded or accidentally caught sea turtles or those purposefully obtained from foraging sites to better understand the migratory distribution for conservation purposes.

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“…The females of Caretta caretta are known for their philopatric behavior (return, generation after generation, to the same coastal locations for the deposition of the eggs), which constitutes a major determinant of the genetic structure within the species: this can be unveiled through the study of maternally inherited molecular markers such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The analysis of the control region (or D-loop) of the mtDNA associated with the MSA allowed to reveal that in the turtles arriving in the Adriatic Sea to feed and grow, diversified genetic contributions are present: most individuals come from the nesting sites of the Mediterranean (Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Libya), but some genotypes come from the Atlantic nesting sites of the Gulf of Mexico and Florida [53,120]. In terms of conservation, it is alarming that some of these nesting sites harbor unique or extremely rare genotypes, which may disappear due to the high mortality associated to the bycatches during trophic migrations in the Adriatic Sea.…”

Section: Evolution and Conservation Strategies: Examples From Vertebratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Unobservability of the Temporal Scale in Biological Studies

Barucchi

Teana

Sabbatini

et al. 2020

The First Outstanding 50 Years of “Università Politecnica Delle Marche”

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Evolutionary studies suffer of the impossibility of directly observing events that occurred far back in time, on a temporal scale much greater than human life. In our paper we describe and discuss the approaches that different branches of natural sciences have adopted to overcome this inherent and unsurpassable difficulty. We, for instance, explain how chemical features of geological stratigraphy can be used to deduce the conditions in which they formed, using known chemical and physical processes as models. We provide examples of how structural and compositional similarities are used by molecular biologists to infer ancestral traits. We describe how ancient DNA can be used to determine changes in genetic structure of organisms over evolutionary times. We provide instances of reconstruction of paleoenvironments to investigate the relationship between organismal functions and ecosystems in remote times. All these approaches allow to circumvent the unobservability of the past through rigorous approaches and solid assumptions, which, although they may not satisfy a strict Galilean method, constitute a scientifically sound way to investigate the biological past.

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Mitochondrial DNA reveals the natal origin of Caretta caretta (Testudines: Cheloniidae) stranded or bycaught along the Southwestern Adriatic coasts

Cited by 10 publications

References 48 publications

Conservation Genetics of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Caretta caretta, from the Central Mediterranean: An Insight into the Species’ Reproductive Behaviour in Maltese Waters

Conservation Genetics of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Caretta caretta, from the Central Mediterranean: An Insight into the Species’ Reproductive Behaviour in Maltese Waters

Increased Sample Size Proved More Insights for the Population Structure of Mediterranean Loggerhead Sea Turtles

The Unobservability of the Temporal Scale in Biological Studies

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