Genetic study of Eretmochelys imbricata populations in the Persian Gulf Islands of Hengam, Hormuz and Nakhiloo, using microsatellite markers

Since1970, Hawksbill turtles are listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The sandy shores of the Iranian Islands in the Persian Gulf are the nursery grounds of this species. In present study, the genetic population of Eretmochelys imbricata in northern part of the Persian Gulf has been studied. For this purpose 90 samples were collected from Hengam, Hormoz and Nakhiloo islands (30 samples from each island) and were analyzed using microsatellites markers. Allele frequency and specific allele, expected heterozygosity and observed heterozygosity, the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium, genetic similarity and genetic distance, Fst and Rst and analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) at 10% confidence level were calculated using the Gen Alex software. The maximum and minimum of allele number in Hormoz and Nakhiloo islands were 7.3 and 5.3 and the average expected and observed heterozygosity were 0.35 and 0.69, respectively. The linkage disequilibrium and deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium have shown that all loci in three regions have deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P<0.001). These results with highly significant Fst of genotypic differences between these populations support the existence of different genetic populations within the Iranian Islands of the Persian Gulf.