Assessment of genetic and education recovery plan objectives for the Bog Turtle (\u3ci\u3eGlyptemys muhlenbergii\u3c/i\u3e)

Unprecedented declines in biodiversity are threatening the natural world as we know it. Without human intervention, two thousand species listed under the US Endangered Species Act are likely to disappear. Fortunately, these species receive federal protection and increased research effort is needed to create and satisfy the objectives outlined in the mandated Species Recovery Plan. In this dissertation, I address three conservation objectives outlined in the Recovery Plan for North America’s smallest and rarest turtle, the Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii): (1) investigate the potential genetic differentiation in southern portions of the species’ range, (2) investigate the genetic impacts of reintroduction, and (3) develop an effective conservation education program. Using SNP markers generated from a novel next generation sequencing technique, I determined that genetic differentiation in the south is largely a function of geographic distance, but State-designated management units may still be suitable in practice. Some populations have relatively low genetic diversity and an effective population size substantially lower than the assumed census size, suggesting that management decisions based on census size may be inappropriate. I also detected statistical patterns consistent with local adaptation, suggesting potential outbreeding depression risk associated with proposed translocations. And for a translocation program previously implemented, I observed an increase in gene diversity, but noted that the increase was less than expected assuming an equal admixture of source populations. Lastly, I explicitly compared the engagement and learning outcomes associated with teaching conservation concepts within a classroom setting. I found no evidence that verbal questioning, clicker, and worksheet active learning strategies affected student engagement and learning, but learning outcomes may differ based on content (topic and example organism used). These findings will inform the development of an education program that will aid Bog Turtle conservation, a species vulnerable to illegal poaching, and hence limited in regards to outreach opportunities. Here I demonstrate how a combination of information from the fields of genetics and education were necessary to address Bog Turtle Recovery Plan objectives, but information from a variety of additional fields will be necessary for Bog Turtle conservation and for the rescue of our other imperiled species

Isolation by distance, local adaptation, and fortuitous coincidence of geo-political boundaries with spatial-genetic clusters in southern Bog Turtles

Conservation strategies are often implemented within the jurisdiction of an administrative unit, such as a state or federal agency; however, boundaries between these units may or may not reflect biologically meaningful distinctions. Population genomic data provide a useful way to objectively assess whether boundaries of administrative units coincide with natural population structure, as well as compare future management scenarios within and among said units. Here we used 2658 SNPs generated by a triple-digest reduced representation library preparation method from 171 individuals to determine if genetic population structure of Bog Turtles corresponds with political boundaries. We also estimated gentetic diversity within populations pertinent to setting management priorities and tested for genetic signatures consistent with local adaptation as a preliminary step to assess translocation risk. We found that genetic differentiation among populations was strongly predicted by geographic distance. Fortuitously, the patchy distribution of remaining Bog Turtle sites results in spatial-genetic clusters that do correspond with state boundaries. We observed low genetic diversity within populations and several instances where the census size exceeded our estimates of effective population size. Lastly, we detected 20 outlier loci consistent with signatures of local adaptation, suggesting that outbreeding depression may be a risk in some translocation options. Our approach allowed us to improve population parameter estimates for the federally threatened Bog Turtle to address key recovery plan objectives, some of which had not been addressed previously