Northward dispersal of sea kraits (Laticauda Semifasciata) beyond their typical range
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
PLoS ONE
Publication Date
6-1-2017
Volume
12
Issue
6
First Page
1
Last Page
9
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Abstract
Marine reptiles are declining globally, and recent climate change may be a contributing factor. The study of sea snakes collected beyond their typical distribution range provides valuable insight on how climate change affects marine reptile populations. Recently, we collected 12 Laticauda semifasciata (11 females, 1 male) from the waters around southern South Korea - an area located outside its typical distribution range (Japan, China including Taiwan, Philippines and Indonesia). We investigated the genetic origin of Korean specimens by analyzing mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (Cytb) sequences. Six individuals shared haplotypes with a group found in Taiwan-southern Ryukyu Islands, while the remaining six individuals shared haplotypes with a group encompassing the entire Ryukyu Archipelago. These results suggest L. semifasciata moved into Korean waters from the Taiwan-Ryukyu region via the Taiwan Warm Current and/or the Kuroshio Current, with extended survival facilitated by ocean warming. We highlight several contributing factors that increase the chances that L. semifasciata establishes new northern populations beyond the original distribution range.
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0179871
E-ISSN
19326203
Funding Information
Research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (2014R1A1A4A01005302). {2014R1A1A4A01005302}
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2017 Park et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Park, J., Kim, I.-H., Fong, J. J., Koo, K.-S., Choi, W.-J., Tsai, T.-S., & Park, D. (2017). Northward dispersal of sea kraits (Laticauda Semifasciata) beyond their typical range. PLoS ONE, 12(6), 1-9. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179871