Genetic analysis of the captive breeding program for the critically endangered painted terrapin, Batagur borneoensis

Captive breeding is an often suggested method for preventing the extinction of species. The painted terrapin (Batagur borneoensis ) is a critically endangered turtle from Southeast Asia that is currently the focus of a captive breeding program at zoos across the USA and Canada. In this study, I used genetic markers to determine: (1) phylogenetic relatedness between wild-caught captive individuals (founders); (2) parentage within zoos; and (3) current levels of genetic diversity in the captive population. Our data did not identify genetic structure among the founders, indicating that they are not mixture of individuals from genetically distinct populations in the wild. The parentage analysis indicated that only a few founders are currently breeding and so breeding strategies need to be revised in order to promote a more equitable distribution of parentage across individuals in order to maintain the genetic diversity of the founders.