Date of Award
Spring 2019
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Department/Major
Biology
First Advisor
Dr. Jacob Kerby
Second Advisor
Dr. Bernie Wone
Third Advisor
Dr. Scott Breuninger
Keywords
False Map Turtle, Ranavirus, Microbiome, Cloacal Microbiome, MNRR, Missouri River
Abstract
Graptemys pseudographica, or the False Map Turtle, is a state-threatened species in South Dakota. The False Map Turtle, a river-dwelling species, is susceptible to the viral pathogen Ranavirus, leading to the deadly ranavirosis, which is a systemic infection transmitted through the water that can cause severe epizootics in turtles (Johnson et al. 2008). We trapped for False Map Turtles in July of 2017 at three different spots along the Missouri River between Yankton, SD and Vermillion, SD and describe the Ranavirus infection status of all 79 False Map Turtles trapped in this area. Additionally, being a river-dwelling species, the bacterial microbiome within the cloaca of False Map Turtles is presumed to vary along different geographic locations within the river and is largely understudied. The bacterial microbiome within the cloaca of an animal has been shown to have significant effects on the overall health of the animal (Ringo et al. 2010). From the 79 individuals sampled this summer, 21 were analyzed for the bacterial genera present within the bacterial community of their gut microbiome by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and the major bacterial genera were identified. Community structure based on taxonomic relationships between bacterial genera based on similarity of 16S rRNA gene sequence is also presented. We conclude that there is no Ranavirus present in any individuals sampled this summer and that bacterial microbiome composition among the cloaca of False Map Turtles differs by geographic location, and that urination during cloacal swabbing does not significantly impact the efficacy of the bacterial community sample.
Recommended Citation
Butterfield, Madeline McClaine, "Surveillance of Ranavirus and Bacterial Microbiome Characterization of False Map Turtles (Graptemys pseudogeographica) Along the Lower Missouri River, USA" (2019). Honors Thesis. 41.
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/41