Sporadic nesting reveals long distance colonisation in the philopatric loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta).

ABSTRACT: The colonisation of new suitable habitats is crucial for species survival at evolutionary scale under changing environmental conditions. However, colonisation potential may be limited by philopatry that facilitates exploiting successful habitats across generations. We examine the mechanisms of long distance dispersal of the philopatric loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) by analysing 40 sporadic nesting events in the western Mediterranean. The analysis of a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA and 7 microsatellites of 121 samples from 18 of these nesting events revealed that these nests were colonising events associated with juveniles from distant populations feeding in nearby foraging grounds. Considering the temperature-dependent sex determination of the species, we simulated the effect

SUBMITTER: Carreras C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5780500 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature