Heterozygosity of a Wood Turtle Population

Abstract

This presentation will report on the work and results of a genetic study on the wood turtle, Glyptemys insculpta, at two sites in Eastern Oswego County, NY for the Student/Faculty Challenge Grant. This study looked at tandemly repeating segments of nuclear DNA, referred to as microsatellites, to assess heterozygosity and relatedness of marked turtles at both sites. This data is part of a larger project assessing the status of wood turtles at both sites as a part of my honors thesis.