The Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms does more than just prepare for war. Sometimes it helps save a species. Reporter David Haldane has the details…
What is a desert tortoise really made of? That’s the question absorbing a group of scientists for the last several years. Now they have an answer, thanks in part to Dr. Brian Henen, an ecologist at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms.
Henen recently collaborated with researchers from Arizona State University’s School of Life Sciences to decode the large reptile’s genome, the complete set of genes present to build and maintain the species. Their findings were published on May 31.
Scientists hope the breakthrough will help them protect the big tortoises, which are listed as “threatened” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Specifically, the genetic map provides a starting point for other studies on disease resistance, adaptations to the desert environment, distribution of genetic diversity and hybridization with its sister species.
The ultimate goal: long-term survival for these gentle giants.
MARINE BASE ECOLOGIST DECODES DESERT TORTOISE GENOME
