# Quaternary Habitat Fluctuations and Demographic Dynamics in Turtles Inferred From Environmental Niche Modelling and Whole Genome Data

## TL;DR

This study explores how turtles responded to climate changes over millions of years using genetic data and environmental modeling.

## Contribution

The study combines genomic data and environmental niche modeling to analyze turtle demographic dynamics and genetic diversity over the Quaternary period.

## Key findings

- Turtle species showed recurring cycles of population expansion and contraction over the last 10 million years.
- Effective population size decreased with temperature reduction after the last interglacial period.
- Neither genetic diversity nor population size correlated with threat status according to the IUCN Red List.

## Abstract

Quaternary climatic fluctuations had a substantial influence on ecosystems, species distribution, phenology and genetic diversity, driving extinction, adaptation and demographic shifts during glacial periods and postglacial expansions. Integration of genomic data and environmental niche modelling can provide valuable insights on how organisms responded to past environmental variations and contribute to assessing vulnerability and resilience to ongoing climatic challenges. Among vertebrates, turtles are particularly vulnerable to habitat changes because of distinctive life history traits and the effect of environmental conditions on physiology and survival. We estimated contemporary heterozygosity (H) and effective population size (N
e) using a high‐quality chromosome‐level reference genome we produced for the European pond turtle (
Emys orbicularis
) and reference genomes and whole genome sequence data available for 21 species of tortoises and freshwater turtles. We implemented environmental niche modelling (ENM) to estimate past habitat dynamics. We found recurrent cycles of population expansion and contraction over the last 10 Mya in all species, with a general pattern of decrease in N
e correlated with temperature reduction after the last interglacial period. No correlation was found between habitat fluctuations during the Quaternary and past N
e. Moreover, neither H nor mean N
e was correlated to threat status as defined by IUCN Red List categories. Our results add to studies on other vertebrates showing the extent to which genetic parameters can aid the assessment of conservation status, and although genomic data may not always be consistent indicators of the level of threat, investigations of which genomic parameters could best represent essential biodiversity variables should be consistently supported.