Mitochondrial DNA and local ecological knowledge reveal two lineages of leatherback turtle on the beaches of Oaxaca, Mexico.

ABSTRACT: Despite multiple conservation efforts of the Mexican government, the leatherback turtle is at serious risk of extinction. In this study, we investigated the possible presence of a genetic bottleneck that could prevent the recovery of this species and compared these findings with those of the olive ridley turtle, which is in true recovery. Our results confirmed that a demographic change occurred in the past and the presence of two different leatherback turtle lineages that diverged approximately 13.5 million years ago. Local ecological knowledge (LEK) also described the presence of these two lineages and warned that one is at higher risk of extinction than the other. Genetic analysis confirmed 124 mutations between the two lineages, and much lower genetic diversity in one lineage than the o

SUBMITTER: Castillo-Morales CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10232504 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature