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Population genetics of Blanding’s turtle (Emys blandingii) in the midwestern United States

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Abstract

Blanding’s turtle (Emys blandingii) has declined substantially in North America due to anthropogenic activities, leaving populations smaller and increasingly fragmented spatially. We sampled 212 turtles to evaluate variation at eight microsatellite loci within and among 18 populations of E. blandingii across its primary range in the midwestern United States (Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska). All loci and populations were highly polymorphic. Our analyses also detected considerable genetic structure within and among the sampled localities, and revealed ancestral gene flow of E. blandingii in this region north and east from an ancient refugium in the central Great Plains, concordant with post-glacial recolonization timescales. The data further implied unexpected ‘links’ between geographically disparate populations in Nebraska and Illinois. Our study encourages conservation decisions to be mindful of the genetic uniqueness of populations of E. blandingii across its primary range.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to Steve Dinkelacker, Robb Goldsberry, Chris Phillips, and Sara Ruane for assistance with collecting and to two anonymous reviewers for constructive criticisms. Turtles and tissues for this project were obtained under Iowa DNR Scientific Collecting permits to JLC and TJV, Illinois Endangered Species permits to FJJ and SH, Minnesota DNR permits to JMR, and a Nebraska Game & Parks Commission permit to Steve Dinkelacker. Funding for this research was provided in part by a contract from the McHenry County Conservation Foundation and National Science Foundation grants IBN-0080194, DEB-0089680, and DEB-0640932 to FJJ, and by a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Iowa Space Grant Consortium grant to FJJ and JLC. Additional funding for sequencing and bioinformatics support was provided by National Science Foundation DEB-0508665 to FJJ and EMM, as well as a grant from the EEOB Department at ISU and a James Cornette Fellowship to AS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Evolution, & Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Arun Sethuraman, Morgan L. Becker & Fredric J. Janzen

  2. Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Suzanne E. McGaugh

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York, Oswego, NY, 13126, USA

    Christopher H. Chandler

  4. Department of Biology, Drake University, Des Moines, IA, 50311, USA

    James L. Christiansen

  5. McHenry County Conservation District, Richmond, IL, 60071, USA

    Sue Hayden

  6. Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Andrea LeClere

  7. Program in Law, Health, and the Life Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    Jennifer Monson-Miller

  8. Department of Biology & Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204, USA

    Erin M. Myers

  9. School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, 61790, USA

    Ryan T. Paitz

  10. Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Jeanine M. Refsnider

  11. Stantec Consulting Services Inc., Independence, IA, 50644, USA

    Terry J. VanDeWalle

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  1. Arun Sethuraman
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Correspondence to Fredric J. Janzen.

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Sethuraman, A., McGaugh, S.E., Becker, M.L. et al. Population genetics of Blanding’s turtle (Emys blandingii) in the midwestern United States. Conserv Genet 15, 61–73 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-013-0521-8

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