Genome scale assessment of a species translocation program

Abstract

Despite increased use of species translocations, controversy remains regarding the efficacy and efficiency of the strategy in obtaining conservation goals. Much of this controversy results from vague program objectives, unclear definitions of success, and lack of follow-up monitoring. We used the translocation program initiated by Zoo Knoxville for the federally threatened Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) as a case study to demonstrate how genomic assessments not only assess the success of program objectives, but also allow managers to quickly obtain baseline data from which program objectives and explicit definitions of ‘success’ can be determined. Here we used 7030 SNP markers derived from RADseq data to confirm the premise that different source populations are genetically differentiated. Then we tested whether the release population has enhanced genetic diversity, as expected from a deliberate admixture. Although the release population had greater diversity than any source population, variation was lower than expected from modeling admixture with equal source contribution. Our results support the premise that genetic diversity can be maximized by including representatives from as many natural populations as possible. But failure to achieve the expected level of diversity could result from nonrandom success of founders from different sources or unrecorded bias in the implementation of the release program. Many existing and future translocation programs would benefit from genetic assessment similar to that conducted here with Bog Turtles.