Tracking the Confiscated Green Sea Turtles in the South China Sea:Where Did They Come From?Where Will They Go?  

作　　者：Min CHEN Tong HUANG Dayi NIE Liu LIN Fang CHEN Jing WANG Jinyan YANG Jing ZHANG Tong LIU Yiqiong CUI 

机构地区：[1]School of Life Sciences,Institute of Eco-Chongming,Shanghai Institute of Wildlife Epidemics,East China Normal University,Shanghai 200241,China [2]Hainan Institute of East China Normal University,Sanya 572025,Hainan,China [3]Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands,Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province,College of Life Sciences,Hainan Normal University,Haikou 571158,Hainan,China [4]Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Branch of China Wildlife Conservation Association,Beijing 100013,China [5]Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology,Beijing 100012,China [6]Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation,Canberra ACT 2601,Australia

出　　处：《Asian Herpetological Research》2024年第3期173-182,共10页亚洲两栖爬行动物研究（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology,the Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Branch of the China Wildlife Conservation Association,and Ocean Park Hong Kong.

摘　　要：The population of the green sea turtle(Chelonia mydas)is under decline,threatened by bycatch and illegal acquisition despite worldwide protection efforts.However,the confiscation of illegally acquired sea turtles could aid in tracking their origin and movement patterns,crucial for effective conservation strategies.Combining satellite tracking and genetic analysis offers an opportunity to investigate the relationship between the origins and migration directions of green sea turtles in the western Pacific.Here,we applied two methods to investigate the spatial ecology of 18 green turtles caught as bycatch in the South China Sea.Our results revealed the genetic origins and diverse movements of the turtles.Bayesian Mixed Stock Analysis(MSA)suggested that these turtles originated from the rookery of the Xisha Islands(49.6%),central Ryukyu(24.6%),NE Borneo(8%),and the Sulu Sea(5.2%),with other rookeries in meagre proportions(<2%each).Satellite tracking showed the ranges of their travel were smaller than the whole contributed rookery range,but diverse.The haplotype diversity of these turtles is high,and CmP19 stands out as both the most frequent and the most diverse haplotype in terms of swimming destinations.These results indicate that the South China Sea is likely an important transportation hub and mating spot for green turtles.Our findings provided evidence for the rehabilitation of these green turtles in the wild and illustrated the complexity of movement during the green turtle’s life history,and the“mixed backgrounds”of the green turtles also highlight the need for joint conservation efforts of neighbouring countries in the South China Sea.

关 键 词：conservation GENETICS green sea turtle(Chelonia mydas) movement rookery satellite tracking 

分 类 号：Q958[生物学—动物学]