Green, yellow or black? Genetic differentiation and adaptation signatures in a highly migratory marine turtle.

ABSTRACT: Marine species may exhibit genetic structure accompanied by phenotypic differentiation related to adaptation despite their high mobility. Two shape-based morphotypes have been identified for the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the Pacific Ocean: the south-central/western or yellow turtle and north-central/eastern or black turtle. The genetic differentiation between these morphotypes and the adaptation of the black turtle to environmentally contrasting conditions of the eastern Pacific region has remained a mystery for decades. Here we addressed both questions using a reduced-representation genome approach (Dartseq; 9473 neutral SNPs) and identifying candidate outlier loci (67 outlier SNPs) of biological relevance between shape-based morphotypes from eight Pacific foraging grounds (

SUBMITTER: Alvarez-Varas R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8261206 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature