Why the Desert Tortoise?
Seeing a tortoise lumbering across the desert in the morning is a precious moment. Over millions of years, the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) has evolved fascinating adaptations to enable it to cope with the many challenges associated with living in the hot, dry and relatively barren world of our southwestern deserts.
Why is the desert tortoise threatened?
Unfortunately, the one thing that the desert tortoise has not been successful at is adjusting to sharing its world with man. Man has brought on many obstacles to desert tortoise survival including the destruction of natural habitat and the introduction of unnatural species that prey upon young tortoises and compete for limited food resources. Fortunately, there are people who understand the seriousness of the desert tortoise’s plight, and help by conducting research, volunteering, and donating to causes focused on desert tortoise conservation. We are calling on friends of the desert tortoise to help us in taking a very important step in building the research tools that we can use to help conserve and further understand the desert tortoise.
Why is your support needed?
Deciphering the genome of a species is an extremely valuable tool that enables scientists to explore important questions about how species function. Sequencing the genome of a species has become a standard task, but it is not inexpensive. This project is headed up by Drs. Kenro Kusumi and Dale DeNardo at Arizona State University and involves many collaborators from across North America to achieve this labor-intensive but well worthwhile task. The group has already decoded the genome of several species of anole lizards, and this campaign will allow them to focus on the desert tortoise, a true icon of the American Southwest from which we have a lot to learn.
How will your contribution make a difference?
Understanding the genetic heritage of the desert tortoise will help us learn how the species deals with high temperatures, limited water availability, and exposure to diseases, key features of survival for the species. The tortoise might even help us help ourselves by giving us a glimpse of the secrets to living longer lives, as they readily live for over 100 years. But if we want to learn these lessons, we must act fast. Many species, including the desert tortoise, are threatened with extinction, so we must expand our toolbox for knowledge by decoding the genomes of such species before it's too late.
We are completely committed to investing our time and resources into this goal, but we must seek financial support from those who value the magic of desert tortoises. Because we have sequenced the genomes of other reptiles, we have in place the equipment and expertise needed to achieve this goal successfully and efficiently. Delaying this effort will make it more difficult and more expensive to complete in the future. Please consider donating to this worthy cause.
Thank you for helping us with our Genome@ASU project!!
We appreciate your support!
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