Tropical ancient DNA reveals relationships of the extinct Bahamian giant tortoise Chelonoidis alburyorum

Kehlmaier, C, Barlow, A ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5532-9458, Hastings, AK, Vamberger, M, Paijmans, JLA, Steadman, DW, Albury, NA, Franz, R, Hofreiter, M and Fritz, U, 2017. Tropical ancient DNA reveals relationships of the extinct Bahamian giant tortoise Chelonoidis alburyorum. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284 (1846). ISSN 0962-8452

Preview

Text 1233296_Barlow.pdf - Published version Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Ancient DNA of extinct species from the Pleistocene and Holocene has provided valuable evolutionary insights. However, these are largely restricted to mammals and high latitudes because DNA preservation in warm climates is typically poor. In the tropics and subtropics, non-avian reptiles constitute a significant part of the fauna and little is known about the genetics of the many extinct reptiles from tropical islands. We have reconstructed the near-complete mitochondrial genome of an extinct giant tortoise from the Bahamas (Chelonoidis alburyorum) using an approximately 1 000-year-old humerus from a water-filled sinkhole (blue hole) on Great Abaco Island. Phylogenetic and molecular clock analyses place this extinct species as closely related to Galápagos (C. niger complex) and Chaco tortoises (C. chilensis), and provide evidence for repeated overseas dispersal in this tortoise group. The ancestors of extant Chelonoidis species arrived in South America from Africa only after the opening of the Atlantic Ocean and dispersed from there to the Caribbean and the Galápagos Islands. Our results also suggest that the anoxic, thermally buffered environment of blue holes may enhance DNA preservation, and thus are opening a window for better understanding evolution and population history of extinct tropical species, which would likely still exist without human impact.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Creators:	Kehlmaier, C., Barlow, A., Hastings, A.K., Vamberger, M., Paijmans, J.L.A., Steadman, D.W., Albury, N.A., Franz, R., Hofreiter, M. and Fritz, U.
Publisher:	The Royal Society
Date:	January 2017
Volume:	284
Number:	1846
ISSN:	0962-8452
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1098/rspb.2016.2235 DOI 1233296 Other 28077774 PubMed ID
Rights:	© 2017 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Jill Tomkinson
Date Added:	13 Nov 2019 14:48
Last Modified:	13 Nov 2019 14:48
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/38252

Actions (login required)

Edit View

Statistics

Views

Downloads