GENETIC STRUCTURE AND DIVERSITY OF GREEN TURTLES (Chelonia mydas) FROM TWO ROOKERIES IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Abstract

To understand the spatial and temporal genetic structure of green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in South China Sea, we analyzed 178 samples collected from two Malaysian rookeries (Redang Island and Sarawak) using the 800 base pair mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences. Nucleotide diversity in Redang Island and Sarawak was 0.027 ± 0.014 and 0.023 ± 0.011, respectively. The results confimed the spatial genetic differences between the two rookeries, and supported the natal philopatry of turtles in South China Sea. However, comparison with 20-year-old data from previous study showed no signifiant temporal differences, indicating that the genetic structures of the populations are temporally stable. The two major rookeries for the green turtles in this study are different in their genetic make-up, thus should be treated as different management units to ensure their future survival.