Abstract
In response to global climate change, numerous taxa are expanding their
living ranges. In species with highly migratory aptitudes such as sea
turtles, this expansion may be driven by individuals either from nearby
or distant areas. Recent observations suggest a range expansion of the
philopatric green turtle (Chelonia mydas) to the central and western
Mediterranean. To assess the origin of the turtles found in these novel
habitats, we first built a genomic baseline, using 2bRAD sequencing on
individuals from regular nesting areas in three Regional Management
Units (RMU): North Atlantic, South Atlantic and Mediterranean (5
individuals from each RMU). Secondly, we compared this baseline with
genotyped hatchlings from three nests laid in new Mediterranean sites
and four mature-size green turtles tagged with satellite telemetry in
the western Mediterranean basin. Our analyses revealed that the nest in
Tunisia was sired by turtles from the South Atlantic RMU, while the two
nests in Crete were sired by turtles from the Mediterranean RMU. In
addition, the three adult turtles sampled in southwestern Mediterranean
were genetically assigned to the South Atlantic RMU while the remaining
individual within reproductive size, sampled in northwestern
Mediterranean, was genetically assigned to the Mediterranean RMU. These
results suggest a simultaneous potential colonisation by two distant
regions. We propose that the range expansion of green turtles into the
central and western Mediterranean, as also already observed in
loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), is likely driven by climate change
and these populations may become globally important as temperatures
continue to increase.