Date of Award
Summer 5-1-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
August 2026
College Granting Degree
Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Kelsie Bernot
Thesis/Dissertation Co-Chair
Tracy Mincer
Abstract
Endo-parasitic nematodes infect the gastrointestinal tract of their reptile hosts including the Gopher polyphemus species. Gopher tortoises are a keystone species that are recognized as a threatened species in Florida. The health of the gopher tortoises is negatively affected by these parasites that cause a plethora of diseases and symptoms. Convenience sampling was used to collect fecal samples from tortoises of the Abacoa Greenway over the past two years. PCR amplified isolated DNA from the fecal samples for a consensus sequence of the nematode 18S rRNA gene. Visualization of the PCR reactions via gel electrophoresis revealed amplification of the appropriately sized DNA suggesting that nematode DNA was likely present in 83% of the twelve tested tortoises. Sanger sequencing was used to verify the species identities of the amplified DNA with matches including A. tetraptera, O. linstowi, C. cranifera, T. tinerfensis, T. scleratus, P. bainae, and P. cubensis. This research demonstrated the prevalence of parasitic nematodes in the Gopherus polyphemus population and confirmed nematodes are infecting the tortoises inhabiting the Abacoa Greenway.
Recommended Citation
Stack, Leighton, "PRESENCE OF NEMATODES IN GOPHERUS POLYPHEMUS IN THE ABACOA GREENWAY" (2024). Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses. 56.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_honors/56