top of page

Genetic structure, demographic connectivity and migratory connectivity of Caribbean hawksbill turtles

Cathi L. Campbell

Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are considered critically endangered at the species level. Distinct population segments (DPSs) have not yet been designated for this species, but populations in the Western Atlantic region are genetically and demographically isolated from those elsewhere. Mitochondrial DNA analyses have indicated discrete female recruitment at the finest spatial scales recorded for any of the marine turtle species, including on the leeward and windward beaches of the same Caribbean island. Despite this fine-scale natal homing, a few common mitochondrial control region haplotypes are shared among many nesting populations, impeding inferences of migratory connectivity and spatial ecology. It is also unclear if nuclear population structure occurs among Caribbean populations. We are exploring the power of mitogenomic and nuclear markers to distinguish turtles carrying control region haplotype EiA11 and nesting or foraging on opposite sides of the Caribbean Sea. We are also using genetic tagging and relatedness analyses to resolve demographic connectivity and population dynamics within two focal nesting populations. 



Collaborators
 

Archie Carr Center for Sea Turtle Research, University of Florida

Dr. Cynthia Lagueux

Dr. Cathi Campbell


United States Geological Survey - Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Dr. Kristen Hart


Buck Island Reef National Monument


NOAA-NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Dr. Peter Dutton


Cathi L. Campbell

Andrew Crowder

Cathi L. Campbell

Andrew Crowder

bottom of page