Marine Turtle Genetics Program Research Portfolio

This project addresses gaps in life history information for sea turtles that have been long-standing needs for building accurate population models. The goal is to develop and implement tools to enable long-term Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) studies of hatchlings in order to establish age at first reproduction and survivorship at different life history stages. Expanded arrays of multiple nuclear markers (SNPs) will provide a basis for cost-effective genetic "tags" to use in a growing number of CMR studies. We will synthesize genetic, tagging and satellite telemetry data in an integrative analysis that will provide performance test for stock assignment analysis software, and advance knowledge of connectivity and migration of males and females between breeding and foraging areas. These tools will be exported and applied to Pacific and other species. These genetic approaches can be used in conjunction with traditional tagging studies and satellite telemetry to improve stock assessments by incorporating missing life history and demographic parameters that allow estimation of vital rates of populations, including age at first reproduction, survivorship at different life history stages, dispersal and migration at different life history stages, census the breeding male populations to determine demographic connectivity of males vs. females, mating systems, operational sex ratios (sex ratios of the breeding population) and spatial ecology.

This project addresses gaps in life history information for sea turtles that have been long-standing needs for building accurate population models. The goal is to develop and implement tools to enable long-term Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) studies of hatchlings in order to establish age at first reproduction and survivorship at different life history stages. Expanded arrays of multiple nuclear markers (SNPs) will provide a basis for cost-effective genetic "tags" to use in a growing number of CMR studies. We will synthesize genetic, tagging and satellite telemetry data in an integrative analysis that will provide performance test for stock assignment analysis software, and advance knowledge of connectivity and migration of males and females between breeding and foraging areas. These tools will be exported and applied to Pacific and other species. These genetic approaches can be used in conjunction with traditional tagging studies and satellite telemetry to improve stock assessments by incorporating missing life history and demographic parameters that allow estimation of vital rates of populations, including age at first reproduction, survivorship at different life history stages, dispersal and migration at different life history stages, census the breeding male populations to determine demographic connectivity of males vs. females, mating systems, operational sex ratios (sex ratios of the breeding population) and spatial ecology.