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POPULATION GENETICS OF GOPHER TORTOISES AT MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, GEORGIA

POPULATION GENETICS OF GOPHER TORTOISES AT MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, GEORGIA. David I. Mederos and J. Mitchell Lockhart Department of Biology Valdosta State University. The Gopher Tortoise ( Gopherus polyphemus ). Gopherus polyphemus – Natural History.

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POPULATION GENETICS OF GOPHER TORTOISES AT MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, GEORGIA

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  1. POPULATION GENETICS OF GOPHER TORTOISES AT MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, GEORGIA David I. Mederos and J. Mitchell Lockhart Department of Biology Valdosta State University

  2. The Gopher Tortoise(Gopherus polyphemus)

  3. Gopherus polyphemus – Natural History • Found in Southeastern U.S. with major population concentrations in Florida, southern Georgia and Alabama • State Status – Threatened • Federal Status – Threatened in west AL, MS, and LA.

  4. Photo Credit - LaShaun Lockhart

  5. Gopherus polyphemusQuick Facts • Only tortoise east of Texas • Populations are concentrated in areas with deep sandy soils suitable for digging burrows • Live in loose colonies • Most fossorial of the North American tortoise species • 40-80 year life span with 10-20 yr sexual maturity • ~1% recruitment rate

  6. Gopherus polyphemus – Natural History • Habitat preference: • Gopher tortoise’s are found in various habitats but require relatively well-drained soils for digging burrows, herbaceous food plants, and open sunny areas for resting and basking.

  7. Gopherus polyphemus • Considered a keystone species in the longleaf pine community, meaning its existence is CRITICAL to the existence of many other species.

  8. The Gopher Tortoise Burrow

  9. Part One: Gopher Tortoise BiologyPart Two: Gopher Tortoise Restoration at Moody Air Force BasePart Three: Population GeneticsPart Three: Uprising problems

  10. Moody Air Force Base (MAFB) Photo Credits - Moody AFB

  11. Moody AFB

  12. Natural ResourcesManagement • Forestry Program • 2,600 acres of upland pine/hardwood forests • 5,500 acres of bottomland forest/scrub-shrub • Fish and Wildlife Program • Main Base hunting for military personnel • Remainder of base is part of Grand Bay WMA • Three installation lakes • Ecosystem Management Program • Grand Bay-Banks Lake Ecosystem Council • RTE species management

  13. Moody Air Force Base • Moody AFB is required by federal mandate to protect rare, threatened, and endangered (RTE) species likely to be impacted by the military mission of the installation.

  14. Moody Air Force Base • 10,913 acres in Lowndes/Lanier Counties, Georgia. • 1. Main Base • Airfield and Cantonment areas Photo Credit - LaShaun Lockhart

  15. Moody Air Force Base • 2. Grand Bay Range, also serving as a state Wildlife Management Area (WMA) • Weapons range and Buffer area Photo Credit - LaShaun Lockhart

  16. Part One: Gopher Tortoise BiologyPart Two: Gopher Tortoise Restoration at Moody Air Force BasePart Three: Population GeneticsPart Three: Uprising problems

  17. Procedure • Guanidinium Isothiocyanate extraction of nucleic acids - isolate DNA • PCR – Epicentre - FailSafe PCR PreMix worked best for multiplexing - Premix A and C • USF-9 primers - 2 multiplexed reactions - amplify 9 different VNTR loci • Gel electrophoresis - produce visible DNA fingerprint to analyze

  18. Optimization

  19. In-progress Results Nei’s Genetic Distance Matrix Moody AFB Gopher Tortoise Populations Preliminary Analysis October 22, 2004 Note: Sample sizes are insufficient for a real, meaningful interpretation of the data. This is a trial analysis for the purpose of demonstration of capability.

  20. Genetic Distance Tree Phylogenetic tree of Moody AFB Gopher tortoise populations. Trial analysis Note: Small population sizes prevent real interpretation of this tree. Analysis is for demonstration of capability. October 22, 2004 Continuous character Maximum Likelihood method version 3.61                            +--------------------------------BF                                 +---3    +----------------------2   +--------------CS          +ACE-                      +ACE-    +ACE-                 +-CP          +ACE-    1-----------------------------------------AR          +ACE-            remember: this is an unrooted tree+ACE-

  21. What can be obtained from these results? • Genetic Distance • Migration- breeding • Are the colonies in fact separate or one big population • Importation of tortoises

  22. Part One: Gopher Tortoise BiologyPart Two: Gopher Tortoise Restoration at Moody Air Force BasePart Three: Population GeneticsPart Three: Uprising problems

  23. Upper Respiratory Tract Disease • Also called URTD’s • Causative Agent - Mycoplasma agassizii • Characterized externally by nasal and ocular discharge, palpebral edema, and conjunctivitis

  24. Photo Credit - University of Florida Veterinary School

  25. URTD’S and Gopher Tortoises • Studies suggest that URTD’s negative tortoises are suitable for relocation and repatriation programs. • Seropositive, clinically ill, culture or PCR positive animals should not be included in such programs. • One positive has been found, may be Imported animal Photo Credit - LaShaun Lockhart

  26. Applications of Results • Land use changes • Relocation of Gopher Tortoises • Necessity of keeping infected tortoises separate from healthy tortoises • Which population possibly infected

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