Turtle soup, Prohibition, and the population genetic structure of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin).

ABSTRACT: Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) were a popular food item in early twentieth century America, and were consumed in soup with sherry. Intense market demand for terrapin meat resulted in population declines, notably along the Atlantic seaboard. Efforts to supply terrapins to markets resulted in translocation events, as individuals were moved about to stock terrapin farms. However, in 1920 the market for turtle soup buckled with the enactment of the eighteenth amendment to the United States' Constitution-which initiated the prohibition of alcoholic drinks-and many terrapin fisheries dumped their stocks into local waters. We used microsatellite data to show that patterns of genetic diversity along the terrapin's coastal range are consistent with historical accounts of translocation

SUBMITTER: Converse PE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5549917 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature