Data from: Isolation by environment in the highly mobile olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the eastern Pacific

Spatial and temporal scales at which processes modulate genetic diversity
over the landscape are usually overlooked, impacting the design of
conservation management practices for widely distributed species. We
examine processes shaping population divergence in highly mobile species
by re-assessing the case of panmixia in the iconic olive ridley turtle
from the eastern Pacific. We implemented a biophysical model of
connectivity and a seascape genetic analysis based on nuclear DNA
variation of 634 samples collected from 27 nesting areas. Two genetically
distinct populations largely isolated during reproductive migrations and
mating were detected, each composed of multiple nesting sites linked by
high connectivity. This pattern was strongly associated with a steep
environmental gradient and also influenced by ocean currents. These
findings relate to meso-scales features of a dynamic oceanographic
interface in the eastern tropical Pacific (ETP) region, a scenario that
possibly provides different cost-benefit solutions and selective pressures
for sea turtles during both the mating and migration periods. We reject
panmixia and propose a new paradigm for olive ridley turtles where
reproductive isolation due to assortative mating is linked to its
environment. Our study demonstrates the relevance of integrative
approaches for assessing the role of environmental gradients and
oceanographic currents as drivers of genetic differentiation in widely
distributed marine species. This is relevant for the conservation
management of species of highly mobile behaviour; and assists the planning
and development of large-scale conservation strategies for the threatened
olive ridley turtles in the ETP.