A preliminary examination of genetic variation in a peripheral population of Blanding's turtle, Emydoidea blandingii

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used to compare the Nova Scotia population of Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) with several popula tions from the species' main range. The Nova Scotia population is believed to have been isolated from the main range for 4000-8000 years. Cluster anal ysis using a neighbour-joining algorithm produced a dendrogram showing the Nova Scotia population clustering separately from those populations in the main range. Analysis of molecular variance shows 34.28% of total variance t o be accounted for between the Nova Scotia population and populations in th e main range. While this study is preliminary, the results suggest that the Nova Scotia population of Blanding's turtle may be important to the mainte nance of genetic diversity in the species.