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