From Molecules to Organisms: Research Applications of Modern Genetic Tools for Turtle Biology and Conservation

Molecular methods are a powerful complement to traditional field practices in illuminating the evolution and ecology of turtles. We illustrate how standard approaches such as DNA sequencing and microsatellites have, and will continue, to shed light on numerous aspects of turtle biology. We also forecast the impact of selected technologies such as amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), small interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs), single nucleotide polymor- phisms (SNPs), bacterial artificial chromosome libraries (BACs), and gene expression techniques. These tools continue to help clarify the demography, population genetics, phylogeography, and phylogenetics of turtles, and hold great potential to elucidate developmental and life history questions in this group. This additional insight, allowed by molecular methods, may ultimately aid in the preservation of turtles by honing conservation and management efforts