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A Bayesian approach to conservation genetics of Blanding’s turtle (Emys blandingii) in Ontario, Canada

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Abstract

Blanding’s turtle, Emys blandingii, is a globally endangered species with a range centred on the Great Lakes of North America. Several disjunct populations also occur along the East Coast of North America. Previous studies suggest that the Great Lakes portion of the species’ range exhibits panmixia. However, E. blandingii is restricted to relatively small populations in many areas around the Great Lakes. Therefore, panmixia across large geographic distances in this area is unlikely. Here, we apply Bayesian analyses of population structure to samples collected across southern Ontario (N = 97) to test a null hypothesis of panmixia and assess possible management units (MUs), and to estimate rates of gene flow across the study area. Sampled sites in Ontario represent a minimum of four distinct genetic clusters of E. blandingii, which we recommend should be considered as independent MUs. Preliminary evidence suggests that further structure may be present in less robustly sampled areas, which deserve further consideration. Genetic diversity at sampled sites is comparable to that reported for other freshwater turtles. Our comparison between this study and previous work confirms that genetic diversity in E. blandingii is reduced in disjunct eastern populations compared to populations centred on the Great Lakes. Genetic diversity in E. blandingii is not correlated with latitude, and instead may reflect post-glacial dispersal of this species from multiple Pleistocene glacial refugia.

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Acknowledgments

Laboratory analyses were funded by a Species at Risk Research Fund for Ontario grant from the Government of Ontario, and we thank B. Johnson and J. Philips of the Toronto Zoo for collaborating on this grant. Other funding was provided by a Canada Graduate Scholarship from the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to CMD, a NSERC Canada Discovery Grant (A3148) to RWM and a Canada Collection grant from Wildlife Preservation Canada to CMD. Sample collection was possible thanks to the generous assistance of J. Baxter-Gilbert, S. Carstairs, B. Caverhill, S. Coombes, J. Crowley, J. Litzgus, M. Keevil, I. Macintosh, J. Paterson, J. Trottier, J. Riley, J. Rouse, D. Seburn, J. Urquhart and A. Whitear. J. Hathaway and J. Pierce allowed sampling of E. blandingii at Scales Nature Park. Jessica Hsiung assisted with figure preparation and provided an original illustration of a Blanding’s Turtle. We thank D. Currie, M. J. Fortin, D. McLennan, S. Lougheed, C. Wilson and two anonymous reviewers for comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada

    Christina M. Davy, Pedro H. Bernardo & Robert W. Murphy

  2. Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON, M5S 2C6, Canada

    Robert W. Murphy

  3. Natural Resources DNA Profiling & Forensic Centre, Trent University, DNA Building, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada

    Christina M. Davy

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  1. Christina M. Davy
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Correspondence to Christina M. Davy.

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Davy, C.M., Bernardo, P.H. & Murphy, R.W. A Bayesian approach to conservation genetics of Blanding’s turtle (Emys blandingii) in Ontario, Canada. Conserv Genet 15, 319–330 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-013-0540-5

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