Expanding the Toolset for Chelonian Conservation: Understanding the Diversity, Distribution and Dynamics of Box Turtle Microbiomes

The Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine has studied the health and movement of free-living box turtle populations at two sites in the Saint Louis area since 2012. With support from the Living Earth Collaborative, researchers will begin a new effort to characterize the native microbiomes of three-toed box turtles and explore how they vary within and between populations. In general, wildlife microbiomes ^_ the bacteria, archaea, protists and viruses that are found inside and on the body ^_ are an understudied aspect of biodiversity conservation. For example, researchers are only beginning to understand the impacts of human-caused environmental change on microbiomes. But the uncharacterized microbiomes of wildlife may provide novel tools for conservation. What researchers learn from the microbiomes of populations that thrive in the wild may provide us with candidate microbes and microbial consortia that could be used to improve disease resistance, nutrient absorption and ultimately fitness of threatened species and those residing in degraded habitats. The researchers plan to incorporate what they learn into the conservation toolset for this and other chelonian species.

Research Team

Fangqiong Ling, WashU (McKelvey School of Engineering)
Maris Brenn-White, Saint Louis Zoo
Kathleen Apakupakul, Saint Louis Zoo
Sharon L. Deem, Saint Louis Zoo