IOTN20-03-A SUMMARY OF SEA TURTLE GENETIC STUDIES IN THE INDIAN OCEAN AND SOUTHEAST

A SUMMARY OF SEA TURTLE GENETIC STUDIES IN THE INDIAN OCEAN AND SOUTHEAST

ANDREA D. PHILLOTT ^#AND RUVANI N.N. GAMAGE

Biological Sciences, Asian University for Women, Chittagong, Bangladesh

#andrea.phillott@auw.edu.bd

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Our summary has compiled available information about genetics of nesting and in-water sea turtle populations in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia so that others interested in this field of research might easily identify areas requiring further investigation. We have also identified studies with contradictory results that would benefit from additional investigation. Study outcomes have been presented without distinguishing among samples from different tissues or fluids, which included blood, skin, muscle, liver, eggshell, and egg albumen, as it was not anticipated that this would be an influential factor on the results.

Genetic Structure of Nesting Sea Turtle Populations In The Indian Ocean And Southeast Asia

Understanding the genetic structure of nesting populations is important to identify populations of conservation importance, determine population connectivity, and define management units within species (reviewed by Jensen et al., 2013a). Haplotypes known for nesting populations of green (Table 1 and 2), olive ridley (Table 3), hawksbill (Table 4 and 5), loggerhead (Table 6), leatherback (Table 7), and flatback (Table 8) sea turtles are presented below. Earlier studies utilised short (~380bp) mtDNA sequences but new mtDNA D-loop primers yield long (~800bp) sequences which improve resolution of stock structure and identify additional management units; it is recommended all future mtDNA studies utilise the longer sequences (see Abreu-Grobois et al., 2006; Shamblin et al., 2012). Studies such as Dutton et al. (2013) and Jensen et al. (2013b) have re-analysed shorter sequences and published additional haplotypes. New sequences should be designated a number according to guidelines at SWFC (2014) and ACCSTR (2014) and submitted to GenBank (www.ncbi. nim.nih.gov). The forthcoming manuscripts about green sea turtle haplotypes by Jensen et al. (see table 1) and hawksbill sea turtle haplotypes by FitzSimmons et al. (see Table 4) should resolve problems in understanding haplotypes for these species and understanding the relationship between previous sequence designations. It is hoped that future work can utilise longer sequences and potentially re-analyse samples collected previously, especially those still to be allocated a sequence number.

There is a lack of samples both by region (northwest Indian Ocean, eastern Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) and species (leatherback, loggerhead, olive ridley and flatback sea turtles) which could be addressed by collaboration between researchers in the appropriate region and those at labs with the capacity to conduct molecular genetics. As FitzSimmons (2014) explains in the preceding paper of this issue of IOTN, greater resolution of population stock structure in the Indian Ocean will inform more effective management plans and conservation efforts of the genetically diverse sea turtle populations in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia.

Genetic Structure of Feeding Ground Sea Turtle Populations in the Indian Ocean And Southeast Asia

Haplotypes known for feeding ground populations of loggerhead (Table 9), green (Table 10 and 11) and hawksbill (Table 12 and 13) sea turtles are presented below. There are no known haplotypes of foraging olive ridley, leatherback or flatback sea turtles in the Indian Ocean. As for nesting populations, new mtDNA D-loop primers yield long (~800bp) sequences should be utilised in future studies and new sequences should be submitted to GenBank (www.ncbi.nim.nih. gov) and numbered according to sequences at SWFC (2014) and ACCSTR (2014).

Genetic Diversity Among Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches In The Indian Ocean And Southeast Asia

Genetic diversity has been described among nesting olive ridley sea turtles in India (Shanker et al., 2011) and Australia (Jensen et al., 2013b); hawksbill turtle populations in the Persian Gulf (Mostafavi et al., 2011; Zolgharnein et al., 2011; Tabib et al., 2011, 2014; Nezhad et al., 2012, 2013); and, green turtle populations in Thailand (Kittiwattanawong et al., 2003), Malaysia (Joseph, 2013, 2014), Sri Lanka (Ekanayake et al. (2012), and the Mozambique channel (Bourjea et al., 2007). The population genetics of hawksbill turtles in the Persian Gulf have been summarized in Table 14 due to contradictory results that may be the result of different methodologies among studies. The importance of understanding genetic diversity among nesting populations has been reviewed by FitzSimmons and Limpus (2014).

Other Molecular Genetics Studies In The Indian Ocean And Southeast Asia

The use of microsatellite markers to understand paternity and mating systems in sea turtles is reviewed by Jensen et al. (2013a), and studies on paternity of sea turtle nesting populations in the region are summarised in Table 15.

DNA barcoding can be used for species identification, such as during forensic investigation of the species of turtle eggs or meat for commercial sale. Elmeer et al. (2011) has sequenced the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI or cox1) gene from mitochondrial DNA of green turtles in Qatar for use in DNA barcoding. In a different type of forensic DNA analysis, 57 items made from tortoiseshell that had been confiscated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service identified 16 haplotypes, 94% of which were of Indo-Pacific origin (Shattuck, 2011).

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Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter No. 20

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Indian Ocean Turtle Newsletter – Issue 20