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Phylogeography, genetic diversity, and management units of hawksbill turtles in the Indo-Pacific
Citation
Vargas, SM and Jensen, MP and Ho, SYW and Mobaraki, A and Broderick, D and Mortimer, JA and Whiting, SD and Miller, J and Prince, RIT and Bell, IP and Hoenner, X and Limpus, CJ and Santos, FR and FitzSimmons, NN, Phylogeography, genetic diversity, and management units of hawksbill turtles in the Indo-Pacific, Journal of Heredity, 107, (3) pp. 199-213. ISSN 0022-1503 (2016) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2015 The American Genetic Association
DOI: doi:10.1093/jhered/esv091
Abstract
Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) populations have experienced global decline because of a history of intense commercial exploitation for shell and stuffed taxidermied whole animals, and harvest for eggs and meat. Improved understanding of genetic diversity and phylogeography is needed to aid conservation. In this study, we analyzed the most geographically comprehensive sample of hawksbill turtles from the Indo-Pacific Ocean, sequencing 766bp of the mitochondrial control region from 13 locations (plus Aldabra, n = 4) spanning over 13500 km. Our analysis of 492 samples revealed 52 haplotypes distributed in 5 divergent clades. Diversification times differed between the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic lineages and appear to be related to the sea-level changes that occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum. We found signals of demographic expansion only for turtles from the Persian Gulf region, which can be tied to a more recent colonization event. Our analyses revealed evidence of transoceanic migration, including connections between feeding grounds from the Atlantic Ocean and Indo-Pacific rookeries. Hawksbill turtles appear to have a complex pattern of phylogeography, showing a weak isolation by distance and evidence of multiple colonization events. Our novel dataset will allow mixed-stock analyses of hawksbill turtle feeding grounds in the Indo-Pacific by providing baseline data needed for conservation efforts in the region. Eight management units are proposed in our study for the Indo-Pacific region that can be incorporated in conservation plans of this critically endangered species.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | marine conservation, marine turtles, mitochondrial DNA, population genetic structure |
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecology |
| Research Field: | Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) |
| Objective Division: | Environment |
| Objective Group: | Ecosystem Assessment and Management |
| Objective Field: | Ecosystem Assessment and Management of Marine Environments |
| Author: | Hoenner, X (Mr Xavier Hoenner) |
| ID Code: | 114246 |
| Year Published: | 2016 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 11 |
| Deposited By: | Ecology and Biodiversity |
| Deposited On: | 2017-02-09 |
| Last Modified: | 2018-04-19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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