Multiple Paternity Detection of Olive Ridley Turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea Populations by Microsatellite Marker as a Genetic Conservation Strategy at Taman Buru Bena, Timor Island

Abstract

Polyandry related to multiple paternities is one of the female reproduction behaviors of sea turtles. The multiple paternities are still difficult to be determined. We determined paternity in the offspring of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) nesting at Taman Buru Bena, Timor Island. Five loci microsatellite markers that used in this research, namely OR-1, OR-4, OR-7, OR-11 and OR-14. DNA was extracted and isolated from the muscle tissues and amniotic fluid of the hatchlings. The amplicon were genotyped by using a GeneMapper genotyping software version 4.0. The result showed that the distribution of the paternal alleles were 3 (OR-11), 2 (OR-4 and OR-1), and 1 (OR-14). Four microsatellite loci OR-1, OR-14, OR-4, and OR-11 could show the multiple paternities of the turtles, this study observed that multiple paternities might contribute to the increase in genetic biodiversity in the sea turtle.