A plasma protein marker for population genetic studies of the desert tortoise (Xerobates agassizi)

Authors

James L. Glenn, Hogle Zoological Gardens, Salt Lake City, and Venom Research Laboratory, Salt Lake City
Richard C. Straight, Venom Research Laboratory, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Jack W. Sites Jr., Department of Zoology, Brigham Young University

Abstract

Fifty-seven individual plasma samples from desert tortoises (Xerobates agassizi) representing 10 separate populations were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using alkaline buffers. An albumin-like protein was found to be polymorphic for two electromorphs in northern populations inhabiting the Mohave Desert Province while Sonoran Desert populations to the south were monomorphic. The genetic divergence demonstrated in this survey is similar to earlier studies and provides evidence for the Colorado River as a potential barrier to gene flow among tortoise populations. These data suggest that tortoise plasma, examined by various electrophoretic methods, may provide a nondestructive means of determining the broad regional origin of desert tortoises.

Recommended Citation

Glenn, James L.; Straight, Richard C.; and Sites, Jack W. Jr. (1990) "A plasma protein marker for population genetic studies of the desert tortoise (Xerobates agassizi)," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 50: No. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol50/iss1/1