Abstract
Field surveys in Taiwan have uncovered turtles presumed to be hybrids based on their intermediate morphology. We sequenced a mitochondrial (ND4) and nuclear (R35) gene of two putative hybrid individuals, along with representatives of the potential parental species ( Mauremys mutica , M. reevesii , M. sinensis ), to determine their genetic identity. Based on our data, both individuals are hybrids, with independent, recent origins resulting from the mating of a female M. reevesii and a male M. sinensis . Since we question whether the highly traded M. reevesii is endemic to Taiwan, this hybridization could represent human-mediated genetic pollution. We also discuss the implications of our findings on turtle conservation in Taiwan.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2061-2066 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Conservation Genetics |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
We would also like to thank many people for their assistance. Drs. Kuang-yang Lue, Shou-hsien Li and their respective lab groups must be thanked for offering their laboratory facilities and assistance in lab work. James Parham helped tremendously with discussions and revisions of this manuscript. Rebecca Chong was integral with her assistance in cloning of hybrid samples and Matt Fujita assisted in Phase analyses. The samples from Taiwan were collected under the permits from Council of Agriculture, Republic of China (permit to T-HC: 0920127668, 0931614045 and 0941611580).Funding
This work was made possible through funding from the National Science Foundation, EAPSI summer fellowship (JJF), the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, UC Berkeley (JJF), and the Chelonian Research Foundation’s Linnaeus Fund (JJF).