Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis

Autores
Prosdocimi, Laura; Roden, Suzanne E.; Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.; Fallabrino, Alejandro; López Mendilaharsu, Milagros; LaCasella, Erin L.; Dutton, Peter H.
Año de publicación
2026
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) undertakes extensive migrations between nesting and foraging areas, where it isexposed to threats such as fisheries bycatch, coastal development, and pollution. Although classified globally as Vulnerable bythe IUCN, the Southwest Atlantic subpopulation is considered Critically Endangered, with nesting restricted to Brazil. Whilesatellite telemetry and previous mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Genetic Mixed Stock Analysis (MSA) studies have indicated thatleatherbacks from West African rookeries migrate to foraging grounds off Argentina and Uruguay, the potential for connectivitywith rookeries from other regions remains an open question. Genetic Stock Identification (GSI) using 15 nuclear DNA (nDNA)microsatellite markers was conducted on 78 stranded or incidentally caught leatherbacks from feeding grounds off the coasts ofArgentina and Uruguay. Assignment analysis results demonstrated that 92% of the foraging leatherbacks originated from Ghanaand Gabon in the Southeast Atlantic (SEA), with lesser contributions from the rookeries in the Northwest Atlantic (NEA; 6%)and the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWI; 1%) rookery in South Africa, all with assignment probabilities (AP) exceeding 95%. Ourfindings corroborate and extend previous mtDNA studies by enhancing the precision of GSI for individuals possessing commonhaplotypes and by clarifying the unknown origin of individuals with ‘orphan’ mtDNA haplotypes, such as Dc7.1, which wereassigned to the SEA rookeries (AP = 99%). Furthermore, we directly assigned one individual, previously of uncertain mtDNAorigin (Dc9.1), to the South Africa rookery (AP = 97%), highlighting the need to consider the extension of the SWI RegionalManagement Unit (RMU) boundaries to Southwest Atlantic waters in future assessments. The absence of detected connectivitywith Brazilian nesting populations underscores the necessity for increased sample sizes and the application of advanced molecu-lar markers. These results advance the understanding of population connectivity across oceanic scales and emphasize the crucialrole of international collaboration in conservation endeavors.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited.© 2026 NGO Karumbe and The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by British Ecological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article has been contributedto by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.L.P. and S.E.R should be considered joint first authors.
Fil: Prosdocimi, Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina
Fil: Roden, Suzanne E.. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos
Fil: Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.. Universidad de la República; Uruguay
Fil: Fallabrino, Alejandro. No especifíca;
Fil: López Mendilaharsu, Milagros. No especifíca;
Fil: LaCasella, Erin L.. Universidad de la República; Uruguay
Fil: Dutton, Peter H.. Universidad de la República; Uruguay
Materia
Atlantic Ocean
conservation genetics
Genetic Stock Identification (GSI)
microsatellites
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/290005
Acceder
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oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/290005
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
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network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) AnalysisProsdocimi, LauraRoden, Suzanne E.Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.Fallabrino, AlejandroLópez Mendilaharsu, MilagrosLaCasella, Erin L.Dutton, Peter H.Atlantic Oceanconservation geneticsGenetic Stock Identification (GSI)microsatelliteshttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) undertakes extensive migrations between nesting and foraging areas, where it isexposed to threats such as fisheries bycatch, coastal development, and pollution. Although classified globally as Vulnerable bythe IUCN, the Southwest Atlantic subpopulation is considered Critically Endangered, with nesting restricted to Brazil. Whilesatellite telemetry and previous mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Genetic Mixed Stock Analysis (MSA) studies have indicated thatleatherbacks from West African rookeries migrate to foraging grounds off Argentina and Uruguay, the potential for connectivitywith rookeries from other regions remains an open question. Genetic Stock Identification (GSI) using 15 nuclear DNA (nDNA)microsatellite markers was conducted on 78 stranded or incidentally caught leatherbacks from feeding grounds off the coasts ofArgentina and Uruguay. Assignment analysis results demonstrated that 92% of the foraging leatherbacks originated from Ghanaand Gabon in the Southeast Atlantic (SEA), with lesser contributions from the rookeries in the Northwest Atlantic (NEA; 6%)and the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWI; 1%) rookery in South Africa, all with assignment probabilities (AP) exceeding 95%. Ourfindings corroborate and extend previous mtDNA studies by enhancing the precision of GSI for individuals possessing commonhaplotypes and by clarifying the unknown origin of individuals with ‘orphan’ mtDNA haplotypes, such as Dc7.1, which wereassigned to the SEA rookeries (AP = 99%). Furthermore, we directly assigned one individual, previously of uncertain mtDNAorigin (Dc9.1), to the South Africa rookery (AP = 97%), highlighting the need to consider the extension of the SWI RegionalManagement Unit (RMU) boundaries to Southwest Atlantic waters in future assessments. The absence of detected connectivitywith Brazilian nesting populations underscores the necessity for increased sample sizes and the application of advanced molecu-lar markers. These results advance the understanding of population connectivity across oceanic scales and emphasize the crucialrole of international collaboration in conservation endeavors.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited.© 2026 NGO Karumbe and The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by British Ecological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article has been contributedto by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.L.P. and S.E.R should be considered joint first authors.Fil: Prosdocimi, Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; ArgentinaFil: Roden, Suzanne E.. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados UnidosFil: Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Fallabrino, Alejandro. No especifíca;Fil: López Mendilaharsu, Milagros. No especifíca;Fil: LaCasella, Erin L.. Universidad de la República; UruguayFil: Dutton, Peter H.. Universidad de la República; UruguayWiley2026-02info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/290005Prosdocimi, Laura; Roden, Suzanne E.; Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.; Fallabrino, Alejandro; López Mendilaharsu, Milagros; et al.; Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis; Wiley; Ecology and Evolution; 16; 2; 2-2026; 1-82045-77582045-7758CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.72776info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1002/ece3.72776info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2026-08-25T15:28:22Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/290005instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982026-08-25 15:28:22.508CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis
title Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis
spellingShingle Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis
Prosdocimi, Laura
Atlantic Ocean
conservation genetics
Genetic Stock Identification (GSI)
microsatellites
title_short Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis
title_full Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis
title_fullStr Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis
title_sort Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Prosdocimi, Laura
Roden, Suzanne E.
Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.
Fallabrino, Alejandro
López Mendilaharsu, Milagros
LaCasella, Erin L.
Dutton, Peter H.
author Prosdocimi, Laura
author_facet Prosdocimi, Laura
Roden, Suzanne E.
Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.
Fallabrino, Alejandro
López Mendilaharsu, Milagros
LaCasella, Erin L.
Dutton, Peter H.
author_role author
author2 Roden, Suzanne E.
Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.
Fallabrino, Alejandro
López Mendilaharsu, Milagros
LaCasella, Erin L.
Dutton, Peter H.
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Atlantic Ocean
conservation genetics
Genetic Stock Identification (GSI)
microsatellites
topic Atlantic Ocean
conservation genetics
Genetic Stock Identification (GSI)
microsatellites
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) undertakes extensive migrations between nesting and foraging areas, where it isexposed to threats such as fisheries bycatch, coastal development, and pollution. Although classified globally as Vulnerable bythe IUCN, the Southwest Atlantic subpopulation is considered Critically Endangered, with nesting restricted to Brazil. Whilesatellite telemetry and previous mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Genetic Mixed Stock Analysis (MSA) studies have indicated thatleatherbacks from West African rookeries migrate to foraging grounds off Argentina and Uruguay, the potential for connectivitywith rookeries from other regions remains an open question. Genetic Stock Identification (GSI) using 15 nuclear DNA (nDNA)microsatellite markers was conducted on 78 stranded or incidentally caught leatherbacks from feeding grounds off the coasts ofArgentina and Uruguay. Assignment analysis results demonstrated that 92% of the foraging leatherbacks originated from Ghanaand Gabon in the Southeast Atlantic (SEA), with lesser contributions from the rookeries in the Northwest Atlantic (NEA; 6%)and the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWI; 1%) rookery in South Africa, all with assignment probabilities (AP) exceeding 95%. Ourfindings corroborate and extend previous mtDNA studies by enhancing the precision of GSI for individuals possessing commonhaplotypes and by clarifying the unknown origin of individuals with ‘orphan’ mtDNA haplotypes, such as Dc7.1, which wereassigned to the SEA rookeries (AP = 99%). Furthermore, we directly assigned one individual, previously of uncertain mtDNAorigin (Dc9.1), to the South Africa rookery (AP = 97%), highlighting the need to consider the extension of the SWI RegionalManagement Unit (RMU) boundaries to Southwest Atlantic waters in future assessments. The absence of detected connectivitywith Brazilian nesting populations underscores the necessity for increased sample sizes and the application of advanced molecu-lar markers. These results advance the understanding of population connectivity across oceanic scales and emphasize the crucialrole of international collaboration in conservation endeavors.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited.© 2026 NGO Karumbe and The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by British Ecological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article has been contributedto by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.L.P. and S.E.R should be considered joint first authors.
Fil: Prosdocimi, Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina
Fil: Roden, Suzanne E.. National Ocean And Atmospheric Administration; Estados Unidos
Fil: Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.. Universidad de la República; Uruguay
Fil: Fallabrino, Alejandro. No especifíca;
Fil: López Mendilaharsu, Milagros. No especifíca;
Fil: LaCasella, Erin L.. Universidad de la República; Uruguay
Fil: Dutton, Peter H.. Universidad de la República; Uruguay
description The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) undertakes extensive migrations between nesting and foraging areas, where it isexposed to threats such as fisheries bycatch, coastal development, and pollution. Although classified globally as Vulnerable bythe IUCN, the Southwest Atlantic subpopulation is considered Critically Endangered, with nesting restricted to Brazil. Whilesatellite telemetry and previous mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Genetic Mixed Stock Analysis (MSA) studies have indicated thatleatherbacks from West African rookeries migrate to foraging grounds off Argentina and Uruguay, the potential for connectivitywith rookeries from other regions remains an open question. Genetic Stock Identification (GSI) using 15 nuclear DNA (nDNA)microsatellite markers was conducted on 78 stranded or incidentally caught leatherbacks from feeding grounds off the coasts ofArgentina and Uruguay. Assignment analysis results demonstrated that 92% of the foraging leatherbacks originated from Ghanaand Gabon in the Southeast Atlantic (SEA), with lesser contributions from the rookeries in the Northwest Atlantic (NEA; 6%)and the Southwest Indian Ocean (SWI; 1%) rookery in South Africa, all with assignment probabilities (AP) exceeding 95%. Ourfindings corroborate and extend previous mtDNA studies by enhancing the precision of GSI for individuals possessing commonhaplotypes and by clarifying the unknown origin of individuals with ‘orphan’ mtDNA haplotypes, such as Dc7.1, which wereassigned to the SEA rookeries (AP = 99%). Furthermore, we directly assigned one individual, previously of uncertain mtDNAorigin (Dc9.1), to the South Africa rookery (AP = 97%), highlighting the need to consider the extension of the SWI RegionalManagement Unit (RMU) boundaries to Southwest Atlantic waters in future assessments. The absence of detected connectivitywith Brazilian nesting populations underscores the necessity for increased sample sizes and the application of advanced molecu-lar markers. These results advance the understanding of population connectivity across oceanic scales and emphasize the crucialrole of international collaboration in conservation endeavors.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,provided the original work is properly cited.© 2026 NGO Karumbe and The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by British Ecological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article has been contributedto by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.L.P. and S.E.R should be considered joint first authors.
publishDate 2026
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2026-02
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/290005
Prosdocimi, Laura; Roden, Suzanne E.; Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.; Fallabrino, Alejandro; López Mendilaharsu, Milagros; et al.; Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis; Wiley; Ecology and Evolution; 16; 2; 2-2026; 1-8
2045-7758
2045-7758
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/290005
identifier_str_mv Prosdocimi, Laura; Roden, Suzanne E.; Velez Rubio, Gabriela M.; Fallabrino, Alejandro; López Mendilaharsu, Milagros; et al.; Advancing Genetic Stock Identification of Leatherback Turtles From Foraging Grounds in the Southwest Atlantic: Insights From Nuclear DNA ( nDNA ) Analysis; Wiley; Ecology and Evolution; 16; 2; 2-2026; 1-8
2045-7758
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.72776
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1002/ece3.72776
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Wiley
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Wiley
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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score 13.265058

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