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Nearly Destroyed DNA Reveals Two Extinct Giant Tortoise Lineages
Developing
In Short: Yale researchers have successfully identified two extinct lineages of giant tortoises from highly degraded DNA, a breakthrough that could aid conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands.
Using a new computational toolkit, Yale researchers have recovered genetic relationships from highly degraded DNA, identifying two extinct lineages of giant tortoises from the Galapagos Islands, according to reports.
The challenge of this study was to reconstruct the genetic relationships of extinct Galapagos giant tortoises, given the highly degraded and fragmented nature of the DNA obtained from museum specimens, said study lead author Alexander Ochoa.
By combining several computational tools, the researchers successfully identified specimens belonging to the extinct San Cristóbal and Santa Fe island lineages, revealing evolutionary history from samples that conventional methods might otherwise discard.
These findings could have implications for conservation efforts, as connecting these extinct populations with tortoises alive today could help in the recovery of the genomes of the extinct lineages in future generations, Ochoa said.
What's still developing
- Sailors historically transported Galapagos tortoises between islands as cargo and used them as a source of food, Ochoa said.
- Some Galapagos giant tortoise specimens preserved in museums contained so little usable DNA that less than 1% of their genomes could be read.
- The findings could also aid efforts to expand giant tortoise populations across the Galapagos archipelago, where traces of extinct lineages may survive in living hybrids.
- Ancient DNA creates a persistent challenge for researchers studying extinct species.
- The lab’s ongoing research focuses on understanding the genetic diversity of Galapagos giant tortoises.
- The researchers extracted DNA from dried bones in historical museum collections, including five specimens representing two extinct tortoise lineages.
Sources
- SciTechDailylink