Isolation by environment in the highly mobile olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the eastern Pacific.

ABSTRACT: Spatial and temporal scales at which processes modulate genetic diversity over the landscape are usually overlooked, impacting the design of conservation management practices for widely distributed species. We examine processes shaping population divergence in highly mobile species by re-assessing the case of panmixia in the iconic olive ridley turtle from the eastern Pacific. We implemented a biophysical model of connectivity and a seascape genetic analysis based on nuclear DNA variation of 634 samples collected from 27 nesting areas. Two genetically distinct populations largely isolated during reproductive migrations and mating were detected, each composed of multiple nesting sites linked by high connectivity. This pattern was strongly associated with a steep environmental gradient and a

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez-Zarate CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5966603 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature