Repoblació de Chelonia mydas a les Illes Caiman

Títol: Using genetics to unravel the Cayman Island reintroduction: a turtle tale

Ex situ management strategies have become an important tool in species conservation programs. However, such conservation actions need thorough management and long-term monitoring to minimize inbreeding depression and loss of genetic diversity, as well as to evaluate the impact of the program on wild populations. In 1968, a captive breeding program was started in the Cayman Islands to repopulate the nesting green turtle (Chelonia mydas) population of the islands that was considered locally extirpated. This ex-situ reintroduction program has been releasing green turtles for almost 40 years and today the Cayman Islands host a population of nesting females again. This seminar aims to explain the importance of short- and long-term monitoring and management of such ex-situ programs focusing on the case of the Cayman Islands. We will see how genetic markers, such as microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA, can be used to evaluate the outcome of a reintroduction and to assess the fitness and stability of the new wild generations. This talk also aims to highlight the importance of the involvement of genetic analysis into conservation studies to guarantee a successful outcome.

Ponent: Anna Barbanti, investigadora predoctoral de la Universitat de Barcelona.

Idioma vehicular: anglès.

Lloc: sala d’actes del Castell dels Tres Dragons (Laboratori de Natura, pg. Picasso, s/n)

Imatge d’una Chelonia mydas, de NatureFiji-MareqetiViti.

Dins el programa de Seminaris de Biodiversitat, SEMBIO. Debat i intercanvi d’experiències essencialment sobre sistemàtica, zoologia, evolució animal i filogènia molecular. Aquestes xerrades estan organitzades pel Grup de Recerca Consolidat ZooSysEvo format per científics de la Facultat de Biologia (UB) i del Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona. L’objectiu és difondre els continguts de la recerca d’investigadors del grup o d’algun investigador convidat.