Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Frazier, Evelyn

Thesis/Dissertation Co-Chair

Hughes, Colin

Abstract

Gopher Tortoises are an imperiled terrestrial tortoise considered ecosystem engineers, as their burrows support over 350 species of “commensals”. Due to extensive anthropogenic habitat destruction and fragmentation, tortoise populations have significantly declined over the past 100 years. This isolation is leading to a premature loss of genetic variation, further precipitating the decline of this species. Understanding the genetic structure of this species can aid management decisions through intentionally relocating animals based on genetic units and historic gene flow, to preserve adaptive diversity and evolutionary potential on a large scale. I investigated whether Southeast Florida has a genetically distinct subpopulation of Gopher Tortoises in the unexamined southeasternmost extent of their range, from Palm Beach to Miami-Dade counties, using 9 microsatellite loci previously characterized for this species (Schwartz et al 2003) and found that our populations are only modestly differentiated from each other, and have greater genetic diversity than other populations.

Extent

59 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (MS)--Florida Atlantic University, 2023.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00014362

Format

pdf

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