Meeting Abstract

P1.20  Thursday, Jan. 3  Genetic Analysis of Loggerhead Sea Turtles from Alabama ESTES, J; MYERS, A; WIBBELS, T*; PHILLIPS, J; Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham; U.S.F.W.S. Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge jestes@uab.edu

The loggerhead sea turtle is a protected species that inhabits subtropical and tropical waters throughout the world. Previous studies have identified several distinct genetic groups of loggerheads along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico. At present, 50 or more loggerhead nests are typically recorded annually in Alabama. In addition to nesting loggerheads, juvenile loggerheads also inhabit the coastal waters of Alabama. The current project evaluated the genetics of juvenile loggerhead sea turtles in the coastal waters of Alabama and hatchling loggerheads from nests at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge (BSNWR) on the coast of Alabama. To determine the genetics of the loggerhead nesting population, tissue samples from dead hatchlings were examined using mtDNA analysis of d-loop polymorphisms. Tissue samples were obtained from hatchlings found dead in nests at the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. Blood samples were obtained from juvenile loggerheads that were captured by a tangle net in the Alabama bay systems. Primers specific for mtDNA of loggerheads were used to PCR-amplify a 391bp region of the control region. The sequences were compared for homology to previously published sequences for loggerheads. Results from nests show that the nesting loggerheads in Alabama represent at least two of the ten previously identified haplotypes. The data show that juvenile loggerheads found in Alabama waters may have originated from any of several major rookeries. The results of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that the loggerheads nesting in Alabama are an extension of the Florida panhandle subpopulation and are an integral part of this management unit.