Christina M. Castellano1,4, John L. Behler2, and George Amato3

Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DEWA) in northwestern New Jersey inhabit the Delaware River and its tributaries. In this study, we used five microsatellite DNA loci to determine the appropriate managements units for the conservation of G. insculpta at DEWA. Blood samples were collected from G. insculpta (n = 80) from four locations in 2001. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 13-30 (average = 18) and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.875 to 0.925 (average = 0.905). F-statistics revealed little genetic differentiation among turtles at the different sampling locations (average FST = 0.004) and gene flow estimates suggested that exchange rates of turtles among locations were high and precluded population subdivision or the fixation of alleles. The geographic distances between sampling locations ranged from 2.5 to 43.4 km; however, genetic and geographic distances were not significantly correlated. These data suggest that G. insculpta at DEWA consist of a single interbreeding population and should be treated as a single management unit. The genetic diversity of G. insculpta at DEWA should be maintained by promoting demographic stability in the subpopulations, and by managing the Delaware River as a migratory corridor for this species.
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