Advancing Forensic Chemical Analysis to Classify Wild and Captive Turtles
The diets and environments that individuals experience can vary greatly within and among wildlife populations. These individual experiences can be compared using the chemical signatures of animal tissues, which can differentiate animals into groups, including those raised in the wild versus those he...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/10/1056 |
| _version_ | 1797574124273401856 |
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| author | John B. Hopkins Cheryl A. Frederick Derek Yorks Erik Pollock Matthew W. H. Chatfield |
| author_facet | John B. Hopkins Cheryl A. Frederick Derek Yorks Erik Pollock Matthew W. H. Chatfield |
| author_sort | John B. Hopkins |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The diets and environments that individuals experience can vary greatly within and among wildlife populations. These individual experiences can be compared using the chemical signatures of animal tissues, which can differentiate animals into groups, including those raised in the wild versus those held in captive facilities. In this study, we compared different combinations of four stable isotope ratios and 15 trace elements derived from the claw tips of captive wood turtles throughout the eastern U.S. and wild wood turtles (<i>Glyptemys insculpta</i>) from Maine to develop predictive models used to determine their origins. The purpose of this work is to develop an objective statistical tool that law enforcement can use to help prosecute poachers. We found that the chemical signatures of 14 (12 trace elements and 2 stable isotope ratios) of the 19 markers we explored were different between wild and captive wood turtles, thus reflecting the differences in their diets and environments. We found that our stable isotope ratio model had nearly perfect predictive accuracy in classifying wild wood turtles as wild and captive wood turtles as captive, whereas our trace element and combined model were 100% accurate, thus validating this statistical approach for determining the origins of confiscated wood turtles from Maine. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:18:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-392140854991480bb91d5589984e1f9e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:18:25Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-392140854991480bb91d5589984e1f9e2023-11-19T16:14:25ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-09-011510105610.3390/d15101056Advancing Forensic Chemical Analysis to Classify Wild and Captive TurtlesJohn B. Hopkins0Cheryl A. Frederick1Derek Yorks2Erik Pollock3Matthew W. H. Chatfield4Center for Wildlife Studies, Camden, ME 04843, USACenter for Wildlife Studies, Camden, ME 04843, USAMaine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Bangor, ME 04441, USAStable Isotope Laboratory, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USASchool of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USAThe diets and environments that individuals experience can vary greatly within and among wildlife populations. These individual experiences can be compared using the chemical signatures of animal tissues, which can differentiate animals into groups, including those raised in the wild versus those held in captive facilities. In this study, we compared different combinations of four stable isotope ratios and 15 trace elements derived from the claw tips of captive wood turtles throughout the eastern U.S. and wild wood turtles (<i>Glyptemys insculpta</i>) from Maine to develop predictive models used to determine their origins. The purpose of this work is to develop an objective statistical tool that law enforcement can use to help prosecute poachers. We found that the chemical signatures of 14 (12 trace elements and 2 stable isotope ratios) of the 19 markers we explored were different between wild and captive wood turtles, thus reflecting the differences in their diets and environments. We found that our stable isotope ratio model had nearly perfect predictive accuracy in classifying wild wood turtles as wild and captive wood turtles as captive, whereas our trace element and combined model were 100% accurate, thus validating this statistical approach for determining the origins of confiscated wood turtles from Maine.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/10/1056carbontrace elements<i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C<i>δ</i><sup>2</sup>H<i>δ</i><sup>15</sup>N<i>δ</i><sup>18</sup>O |
| spellingShingle | John B. Hopkins Cheryl A. Frederick Derek Yorks Erik Pollock Matthew W. H. Chatfield Advancing Forensic Chemical Analysis to Classify Wild and Captive Turtles Diversity carbon trace elements <i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C <i>δ</i><sup>2</sup>H <i>δ</i><sup>15</sup>N <i>δ</i><sup>18</sup>O |
| title | Advancing Forensic Chemical Analysis to Classify Wild and Captive Turtles |
| title_full | Advancing Forensic Chemical Analysis to Classify Wild and Captive Turtles |
| title_fullStr | Advancing Forensic Chemical Analysis to Classify Wild and Captive Turtles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Advancing Forensic Chemical Analysis to Classify Wild and Captive Turtles |
| title_short | Advancing Forensic Chemical Analysis to Classify Wild and Captive Turtles |
| title_sort | advancing forensic chemical analysis to classify wild and captive turtles |
| topic | carbon trace elements <i>δ</i><sup>13</sup>C <i>δ</i><sup>2</sup>H <i>δ</i><sup>15</sup>N <i>δ</i><sup>18</sup>O |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/10/1056 |
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