TY - JOUR T1 - Preserving microsatellites? Conservation genetics of the giant Galápagos tortoise JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/101980 SP - 101980 AU - Etienne Loire AU - Nicolas Galtier Y1 - 2017/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/01/20/101980.abstract N2 - Conservation policy in the giant Galápagos tortoise, an iconic endangered animal, has been assisted by genetic markers for ~15 years: mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite loci have been used to delineate thirteen (sub)species, between which hybridization is prevented. Here, comparative reanalysis of a previously published NGS data set reveals a conflict with traditional markers. Genetic diversity and population substructure in the giant Galápagos tortoise are found to be particularly low, questioning the genetic relevance of current conservation practices. ER -