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Conservation genetics of Galápagos tortoise

Giant tortoises once thrived throughout the Galápagos archipelago, but today three island populations are extinct, only one individual survives from the island of Pinta (“Lonesome George”), and several populations are critically endangered. In an effort to find a mate for the sole surviving tortoise from Pinta, and to augment the number of breeding individuals in other imperiled populations, we conducted molecular analyses to determine the population of origin of 59 tortoises that are housed at the Charles Darwin Research Station (on the Galápagos island of Santa Cruz).

Although to date, no mate has been found for Lonesome George, we have found several captive tortoises from an evolutionarily close but geographically lineage. In addition, we have identified captive tortoises with mitochondrial DNA haplotypes closely related to another at-risk population (San Cristóbal).  These individuals are being considered as candidates for augmentation of natural populations and/or captive-breeding programs. The search for a mate for Lonesome George continues in zoos and private collections around the world. This research exemplifies the one of the contributions molecular techniques can make to the management of captive and wild endangered species populations.

This research was conducted in collaboration with the Caccone and Powell Labs at Yale University.

Photo courtesy of Adalgisa Caccone

Relevant publications:

Burns, C.E., C. Ciofi, L.B. Beheregaray,  J.R. Powell and A. Caccone. 2003. The origin of captive Galápagos tortoises based  on DNA analysis: Implications for the management  of natural populations. Animal Conservation. 6(4): 329-37.

Caccone, A., G. Gentile, C.E. Burns, E. Sezzi,  W. Bergman, and J.R. Powell. 2004. Extreme difference in rate of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA evolution in a large ectotherm, Galápagos  tortoises. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 31: 794-98.