Mitrochondrial dna control region polymorphisms of loggerhead and green turtles nesting on Turkish beaches: quick results with restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) analysis for conservation assessment

Abstract

The genetic structures of two sea turtle species (Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas) nesting along the Turkish coast, were analyzed using tissues (kidney, liver, gonad, muscles etc.) from dead hatchlings and embryos. We collected tissues 31 different (14 C. caretta and 17 C. mydas) dead hatchlings from 10 different nesting beaches (Dalyan, Dalaman, Fethiye, Cirali, Belek, Kizilot, Anamur, Goksu, Kazanli and Samandag) and preserved in absolute alcohol. We used AluI, HindIII, HaeIII and SmaI restriction enzymes for digestion in PCR-RFLP analyses. The SmaI and HindIII enzymes were not digested the mtDNA from both species. We detected five polymorphisms (in three C. caretta and two C. mydas) on four different beaches of Turkey (produced by the digestion of AluI and HindII enzymes). These results showed that there are genetical diversities of the sea turtle population on Turkish beaches and these results are discussed in identifying the genetic source of the turtles and their conservation.