2022
Temporal Monitoring of the Floreana Island Galapagos Giant Tortoise Captive Breeding Program
Gray R, Fusco N, Miller J, Tapia W, Mariani C, Caccone A, Jensen E. Temporal Monitoring of the Floreana Island Galapagos Giant Tortoise Captive Breeding Program. Integrative And Comparative Biology 2022, 62: 1864-1871. PMID: 35906184, DOI: 10.1093/icb/icac129.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCaptive breeding programsBreeding programsEffective population sizeGalapagos giant tortoisesCaptive breedingGenetic diversityGenetic trackingReproductive outputSpecies restorationGiant tortoisesConservation managersBreeding outcomesMicrosatellite markersGenetic analysisMore foundersBreeding cyclePopulation sizeBreeding facilitiesTortoisesValue of hybridsParentageOffspringGenomeHybridsBreeding
2019
Genetically informed captive breeding of hybrids of an extinct species of Galapagos tortoise
Quinzin M, Sandoval‐Castillo J, Miller J, Beheregaray L, Russello M, Hunter E, Gibbs J, Tapia W, Villalva F, Caccone A. Genetically informed captive breeding of hybrids of an extinct species of Galapagos tortoise. Conservation Biology 2019, 33: 1404-1414. PMID: 30901116, DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13319.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsOverall genetic diversityGenetic diversityExtinct speciesC. nigerFloreana IslandExtinct taxaCaptive breeding strategiesCaptive breeding programsSmall breeding groupsGalapagos tortoisesSpecies restoration programsHigh ancestrySpecies biologyExtant speciesGenetic integrityCaptive breedingGenomic representationAdaptive potentialSpecies conservationBreeding strategiesSpecies recoveryGenotypic dataEndemic rangeBiodiversity conservationEcosystem restoration
2018
Population genomics through time provides insights into the consequences of decline and rapid demographic recovery through head‐starting in a Galapagos giant tortoise
Jensen E, Edwards D, Garrick R, Miller J, Gibbs J, Cayot L, Tapia W, Caccone A, Russello M. Population genomics through time provides insights into the consequences of decline and rapid demographic recovery through head‐starting in a Galapagos giant tortoise. Evolutionary Applications 2018, 11: 1811-1821. PMID: 30459831, PMCID: PMC6231475, DOI: 10.1111/eva.12682.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchGiant tortoisesBottleneck eventsGenetic diversityGenetic variationPopulation declineTortoise populationsPopulation sizeCurrent genetic diversityEffective population sizePopulation genetics theoryWide single nucleotide polymorphism dataCaptive breeding programsRapid demographic recoveryRecent population declineSingle nucleotide polymorphism dataGalapagos giant tortoisesNucleotide polymorphism dataRapid population declineLarge population sizesPopulation genomicsSpecies restorationLong-term persistencePopulation structureGenetic patternsGenetic theoryGenetic Pedigree Analysis of the Pilot Breeding Program for the Rediscovered Galapagos Giant Tortoise from Floreana Island
Miller J, Quinzin M, Scheibe E, Ciofi C, Villalva F, Tapia W, Caccone A. Genetic Pedigree Analysis of the Pilot Breeding Program for the Rediscovered Galapagos Giant Tortoise from Floreana Island. Journal Of Heredity 2018, 109: 620-630. PMID: 29490038, DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esy010.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsReproductive skewGalapagos giant tortoisesBreeding programsFloreana IslandGiant tortoisesAssortative matingSelf-sustaining wild populationsGenetic pedigree analysisMajority of progenyCaptive breeding programsSmall breeding groupsOrigin of individualsPedigree analysisLarge breeding programsFounding individualsWild populationsAllelic diversityGenetic diversityExtinct tortoisesGenetic variationGenetic analysisC. nigerPopulation sizeRelated individualsBreeding groups
2017
Identification of Genetically Important Individuals of the Rediscovered Floreana Galápagos Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis elephantopus) Provides Founders for Species Restoration Program
Miller J, Quinzin M, Poulakakis N, Gibbs J, Beheregaray L, Garrick R, Russello M, Ciofi C, Edwards D, Hunter E, Tapia W, Rueda D, Carrión J, Valdivieso A, Caccone A. Identification of Genetically Important Individuals of the Rediscovered Floreana Galápagos Giant Tortoise (Chelonoidis elephantopus) Provides Founders for Species Restoration Program. Scientific Reports 2017, 7: 11471. PMID: 28904401, PMCID: PMC5597637, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-11516-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsGiant tortoisesGalápagos giant tortoisesHuman-driven environmental changesCaptive breeding programsCaptive breeding centerSpecies restoration programsHigh ancestryFloreana IslandSpecies todayIsland ecosystemsBreeding programsGalápagos IslandsGenetic analysisBreeding CenterEnvironmental changesRestoration programsTortoisesSpeciesEcosystemsDistinctive morphologyAncestryUnprecedented rateIslandsTranslocationUnique opportunity
2012
Genetic rediscovery of an ‘extinct’ Galápagos giant tortoise species
Garrick R, Benavides E, Russello M, Gibbs J, Poulakakis N, Dion K, Hyseni C, Kajdacsi B, Márquez, Bahan S, Ciofi C, Tapia W, Caccone A. Genetic rediscovery of an ‘extinct’ Galápagos giant tortoise species. Current Biology 2012, 22: r10-r11. PMID: 22240469, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.12.004.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFloreana IslandHybrid individualsGiant tortoise speciesUnique evolutionary lineagesGiant Galápagos tortoisesCaptive breeding programsEvolutionary lineagesGalápagos tortoisesHybrid offspringExtinct speciesGenetic footprintsTortoise speciesBreeding programsGalápagos IslandsGenetic signaturesExtant individualsIsabela IslandGenomeSpeciesMixed ancestryTortoisesAncestryIslandsLineagesLikely mechanism
2008
Historical DNA analysis reveals living descendants of an extinct species of Galápagos tortoise
Poulakakis N, Glaberman S, Russello M, Beheregaray LB, Ciofi C, Powell JR, Caccone A. Historical DNA analysis reveals living descendants of an extinct species of Galápagos tortoise. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2008, 105: 15464-15469. PMID: 18809928, PMCID: PMC2563078, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0805340105.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMuseum specimensHistorical DNA analysisDiversification of organismsCaptive breeding programsIsland of FloreanaModern DNA techniquesMicrosatellite dataGalápagos tortoisesConservation biologyMitochondrial DNANatural selectionExtinct speciesExtinct taxaBreeding programsGiant tortoisesIntense harvestingGenetic analysisGenetic dataGalápagos ArchipelagoTortoise populationsDNA techniquesHuman exploitationNearby islandsEnough individualsSpecies
2004
Potential genetic consequences of a recent bottleneck in the Amur tiger of
Russello M, Gladyshev E, Miquelle D, Caccone A. Potential genetic consequences of a recent bottleneck in the Amur tiger of. Conservation Genetics 2004, 5: 707-713. DOI: 10.1007/s10592-004-1860-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchWild populationsGenetic variationMitochondrial DNA control regionRemnant genetic diversityDNA control regionSingle widespread haplotypeMitochondrial DNA variationPotential genetic consequencesCaptive breeding programsAmur tigersRecent bottleneckPanthera tigris altaicaWidespread haplotypeGenetic consequencesDNA variationHaplotype diversityGenetic diversityControl regionScat samplesBreeding programsCaptive individualsSevere bottleneckPopulation sizeDemographic processesRussian Far East
2003
The origin of captive Galápagos tortoises based on DNA analysis: implications for the management of natural populations
Burns C, Ciofi C, Beheregaray L, Fritts T, Gibbs J, Márquez C, Milinkovitch M, Powell J, Caccone A. The origin of captive Galápagos tortoises based on DNA analysis: implications for the management of natural populations. Animal Conservation 2003, 6: 329-337. DOI: 10.1017/s1367943003003408.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchNatural populationsMtDNA haplotypesCaptive individualsMtDNA control region haplotypesDistinct mtDNA haplotypesControl region haplotypesMultilocus microsatellite genotypesCaptive breeding programsSpecies management plansNumber of breedersLonesome GeorgeCharles Darwin Research StationCR haplotypesEvolutionary originGalápagos tortoisesIsland populationsMicrosatellite genotypesRegion haplotypesGiant tortoisesGalápagos IslandsGalápagos ArchipelagoGeographic originMolecular techniquesHaplotypesCaptive tortoises