Molecular genetics of sea turtles

Abstract

Since the first volume of The Biology of Sea Turtles (Lutz and Musick, 1997), studies using molecular techniques to address a variety of questions about sea turtle biology and life history have grown rapidly. In the late 1980s researchers had just begun using mitochondrial (mt) DNA to investigate how sea turtle rookeries are genetically linked through female dispersal and set a benchmark when providing compelling evidence of female natal homing. The growing popularity of using molecular techniques in sea turtle research is illustrated by the number of genetic papers presented at the Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Conservation and Biology over the past two decades (Figure 6.1). The rapid progress in DNA sequencing and genotyping technology has expanded the scope of molecular genetics, and the symposia presentations include diverse topics ranging from mating systems and kinship among individuals to relationships among populations and species.