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ARE SOUTH FLORIDA’S GOPHER TORTOISE POPULATION’S GENETICALLY DIFFERENTIATED FROM EACH OTHER?
- Date Issued:
- 2023
- Abstract/Description:
- Gopher Tortoises are an imperiled terrestrial tortoise considered ecosystem engineers, as their burrows support over 350 species of “commensals”. Due to extensive anthropogenic habitat destruction and fragmentation, tortoise populations have significantly declined over the past 100 years. This isolation is leading to a premature loss of genetic variation, further precipitating the decline of this species. Understanding the genetic structure of this species can aid management decisions through intentionally relocating animals based on genetic units and historic gene flow, to preserve adaptive diversity and evolutionary potential on a large scale. I investigated whether Southeast Florida has a genetically distinct subpopulation of Gopher Tortoises in the unexamined southeasternmost extent of their range, from Palm Beach to Miami-Dade counties, using 9 microsatellite loci previously characterized for this species (Schwartz et al 2003) and found that our populations are only modestly differentiated from each other, and have greater genetic diversity than other populations.
Title: | ARE SOUTH FLORIDA’S GOPHER TORTOISE POPULATION’S GENETICALLY DIFFERENTIATED FROM EACH OTHER?. |
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Name(s): |
Rothberg, Olivia , author Frazier, Evelyn , Thesis advisor Hughes, Colin, Thesis advisor Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor Department of Biological Sciences Charles E. Schmidt College of Science |
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Type of Resource: | text | |
Genre: | Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation | |
Date Created: | 2023 | |
Date Issued: | 2023 | |
Publisher: | Florida Atlantic University | |
Place of Publication: | Boca Raton, Fla. | |
Physical Form: | application/pdf | |
Extent: | 59 p. | |
Language(s): | English | |
Abstract/Description: | Gopher Tortoises are an imperiled terrestrial tortoise considered ecosystem engineers, as their burrows support over 350 species of “commensals”. Due to extensive anthropogenic habitat destruction and fragmentation, tortoise populations have significantly declined over the past 100 years. This isolation is leading to a premature loss of genetic variation, further precipitating the decline of this species. Understanding the genetic structure of this species can aid management decisions through intentionally relocating animals based on genetic units and historic gene flow, to preserve adaptive diversity and evolutionary potential on a large scale. I investigated whether Southeast Florida has a genetically distinct subpopulation of Gopher Tortoises in the unexamined southeasternmost extent of their range, from Palm Beach to Miami-Dade counties, using 9 microsatellite loci previously characterized for this species (Schwartz et al 2003) and found that our populations are only modestly differentiated from each other, and have greater genetic diversity than other populations. | |
Identifier: | FA00014362 (IID) | |
Degree granted: | Thesis (MS)--Florida Atlantic University, 2023. | |
Collection: | FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection | |
Note(s): | Includes bibliography. | |
Subject(s): |
Gopher tortoises Florida, South Population genetics |
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Persistent Link to This Record: | http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014362 | |
Use and Reproduction: | Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder. | |
Host Institution: | FAU |