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The molecular systematics of Southern African Testudinidae
Sixteen of the world's 42 species of land tortoises occur in Africa, 10 of which are endemic to southern Africa. South Africa itself, which occupies 0.8% of the earth's total land mass, has the highest tortoise biodiversity in the world, with 13 species. This is the first study to use molecular tech...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Division of Chemical Pathology
2018
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| _version_ | 1867613228264062976 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Varhol, Richard Joseph |
| author2 | Harley, Eric H |
| author_browse | Harley, Eric H Varhol, Richard Joseph |
| author_facet | Harley, Eric H Varhol, Richard Joseph |
| author_sort | Varhol, Richard Joseph |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Sixteen of the world's 42 species of land tortoises occur in Africa, 10 of which are endemic to southern Africa. South Africa itself, which occupies 0.8% of the earth's total land mass, has the highest tortoise biodiversity in the world, with 13 species. This is the first study to use molecular techniques to investigate the evolutionary history of this group, which displays an unusually high level of speciation on the continent. Four hundred and fifty base pairs of mtDNA cytochrome b sequence were obtained, using direct PCR-based sequencing, from 32 individual tortoise blood samples, comprising 13 different species from 6 genera. PAUP 3. 1.1, and MEGA were used to infer a phylogeny using Chrysemys scripta elegans (an Emydid) an outgroup. Both phenetic and cladistic methods generated similar results. With the exception of Malacochersus, both morphological and molecular work show largely congruent results. When intra-specific relationships, using the molecular results, were compared to the existing morphological data, Psammobates was the only genus with a consistent topology. Proposals for the re-evaluation of Homopus, Kinixys and Geochelone have been made. Suggestions, based on molecular results, include the distinction between Chersobius and Homopus (Hewitt 1937), incorporating Malacochersus tornieri into Kinixys, and the elevation of Geochelone pardalis pardalis and G.p. babcocki to species level. Sequencing a further nine individuals within Homopus areolatus showed a higher than expected sequence variation, suggesting a distinct population structure and possibly cryptic species. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/26918 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:47.627Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publishDateRange | 2018 |
| publishDateSort | 2018 |
| publisher | Division of Chemical Pathology |
| publisherStr | Division of Chemical Pathology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/26918 The molecular systematics of Southern African Testudinidae Varhol, Richard Joseph Harley, Eric H Chemical Pathology Sixteen of the world's 42 species of land tortoises occur in Africa, 10 of which are endemic to southern Africa. South Africa itself, which occupies 0.8% of the earth's total land mass, has the highest tortoise biodiversity in the world, with 13 species. This is the first study to use molecular techniques to investigate the evolutionary history of this group, which displays an unusually high level of speciation on the continent. Four hundred and fifty base pairs of mtDNA cytochrome b sequence were obtained, using direct PCR-based sequencing, from 32 individual tortoise blood samples, comprising 13 different species from 6 genera. PAUP 3. 1.1, and MEGA were used to infer a phylogeny using Chrysemys scripta elegans (an Emydid) an outgroup. Both phenetic and cladistic methods generated similar results. With the exception of Malacochersus, both morphological and molecular work show largely congruent results. When intra-specific relationships, using the molecular results, were compared to the existing morphological data, Psammobates was the only genus with a consistent topology. Proposals for the re-evaluation of Homopus, Kinixys and Geochelone have been made. Suggestions, based on molecular results, include the distinction between Chersobius and Homopus (Hewitt 1937), incorporating Malacochersus tornieri into Kinixys, and the elevation of Geochelone pardalis pardalis and G.p. babcocki to species level. Sequencing a further nine individuals within Homopus areolatus showed a higher than expected sequence variation, suggesting a distinct population structure and possibly cryptic species. 2018-01-24T11:46:27Z 2018-01-24T11:46:27Z 1998 Master Thesis Masters MSc (Med) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26918 eng application/pdf Division of Chemical Pathology Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Chemical Pathology Varhol, Richard Joseph The molecular systematics of Southern African Testudinidae |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | The molecular systematics of Southern African Testudinidae |
| title_full | The molecular systematics of Southern African Testudinidae |
| title_fullStr | The molecular systematics of Southern African Testudinidae |
| title_full_unstemmed | The molecular systematics of Southern African Testudinidae |
| title_short | The molecular systematics of Southern African Testudinidae |
| title_sort | molecular systematics of southern african testudinidae |
| topic | Chemical Pathology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26918 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT varholrichardjoseph themolecularsystematicsofsouthernafricantestudinidae AT varholrichardjoseph molecularsystematicsofsouthernafricantestudinidae |