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Stanbridge D, O’Riain MJ, Dreyer C, le Roex N. Genetic restoration of black rhinoceroses in South Africa: conservation implications. CONSERV GENET 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-022-01486-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Ghosh T, Kumar S, Sharma K, Kakati P, Sharma A, Mondol S. Consideration of genetic variation and evolutionary history in future conservation of Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:92. [PMID: 35858827 PMCID: PMC9301832 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02045-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The extant members of the Asian rhinos have experienced severe population and range declines since Pleistocene through a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. The one-horned rhino is the only Asian species recovered from such conditions but most of the extant populations are reaching carrying capacity. India currently harbours ~ 83% of the global wild one-horned rhino populations distributed across seven protected areas. Recent assessments recommend reintroduction-based conservation approaches for the species, and implementation of such efforts would greatly benefit from detailed genetic assessments and evolutionary history of these populations. Using mitochondrial data, we investigated the phylogeography, divergence and demographic history of one-horned rhinos across its Indian range. Results We report the first complete mitogenome from all the extant Indian wild one-horned rhino populations (n = 16 individuals). Further, we identified all polymorphic sites and assessed rhino phylogeography (2531 bp mtDNA, n = 111 individuals) across India. Results showed 30 haplotypes distributed as three distinct genetic clades (Fst value 0.68–1) corresponding to the states of Assam (n = 28 haplotypes), West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh (both monomorphic). The reintroduced population of Uttar Pradesh showed maternal signatures of Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Mitochondrial phylogenomics suggests one-horned rhino diverged from its recent common ancestors ~ 950 Kya and different populations (Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh/Nepal) coalesce at ~ 190–50 Kya, corroborating with the paleobiogeography history of the Indian subcontinent. Further, the demography analyses indicated historical decline in female effective population size ~ 300–200 Kya followed by increasing trends during ~ 110–60 Kya. Conclusion The phylogeography and phylogenomic outcomes suggest recognition of three ‘Evolutionary Significant Units (ESUs)’ in Indian rhino. With ongoing genetic isolation of the current populations, future management efforts should focus on identifying genetically variable founder animals and consider periodic supplementation events while planning future rhino reintroduction programs in India. Such well-informed, multidisciplinary approach will be the only way to ensure evolutionary, ecological and demographic stability of the species across its range. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-022-02045-2.
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Mallet C, Houssaye A, Cornette R, Billet G. Long bone shape variation in the forelimb of Rhinocerotoidea: relation with size, body mass and body proportions. Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In quadrupeds, limb bones are strongly affected by functional constraints linked to weight support, but few studies have addressed the complementary effects of mass, size and body proportions on limb bone shape. During their history, Rhinocerotoidea have displayed a great diversity of body masses and relative size and proportions of limb bones, from small tapir-like forms to giant species. Here, we explore the evolutionary variation of shapes in forelimb bones and its relationship with body mass in Rhinocerotoidea. Our results indicate a general increase in robustness and greater development of muscular insertions in heavier species, counteracting the higher weight loadings induced by an increased body mass. The shape of the humerus changes allometrically and exhibits a strong phylogenetic signal. Shapes of the radius and ulna display a stronger link with body mass repartition than with the absolute mass itself. Congruent shape variation between the humerus and the proximal part of the ulna suggests that the elbow joint is comprised of two strongly covariant structures. In addition, our work confirms the uniqueness of giant Paraceratheriidae among Rhinocerotoidea, whose shape variation is related to both a high body mass and a cursorial forelimb construction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Mallet
- Mécanismes adaptatifs et évolution (MECADEV), UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 55 rue Buffon, CP 55, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Alexandra Houssaye
- Mécanismes adaptatifs et évolution (MECADEV), UMR 7179, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 55 rue Buffon, CP 55, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, MNHN, CNRS, Sorbonne Université (SU), École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université des Antilles, 57 rue Cuvier, CP 50, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Billet
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie – Paris (CR2P), UMR 7207, MNHN, CNRS, SU, 8 rue Buffon, CP 38, 75005 Paris, France
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Matschiner M. Museum specimens tell the history of rhinoceroses. Cell 2021; 184:4841-4842. [PMID: 34499855 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Rhinoceroses are facing an uncertain future due to human-induced population-size reductions. In this issue of Cell, Liu et al. analyze rhinoceros genomes to study their past and find support for an early divergence between African and Asian species, signatures of past hybridization, and evidence of loss of genetic diversity.
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Mason VC, Helgen KM, Murphy WJ. Comparative Phylogeography of Forest-Dependent Mammals Reveals Paleo-Forest Corridors throughout Sundaland. J Hered 2020; 110:158-172. [PMID: 30247638 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esy046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary history of the colugo, a gliding arboreal mammal distributed throughout Sundaland, was influenced by the location of and connections between forest habitats. By comparing colugo phylogenetic patterns, species ecology, sample distributions, and times of divergence to those of other Sundaic taxa with different life-history traits and dispersal capabilities, we inferred the probable distribution of paleo-forest corridors and their influence on observed biogeographic patterns. We identified a consistent pattern of early diversification between east and west Bornean lineages in colugos, lesser mouse deer, and Sunda pangolins, but not in greater mouse deer. This deep east-west split within Borneo has not been commonly described in mammals. Colugos on West Borneo diverged from colugos in Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra in the late Pliocene, however most other mammalian populations distributed across these same geographic regions diverged from a common ancestor more recently in the Pleistocene. Low genetic divergence between colugos on large landmasses and their neighboring satellite islands indicated that past forest distributions were recently much larger than present refugial distributions. Our analysis of colugo evolutionary history reconstructs Borneo as the most likely ancestral area of origin for Sunda colugos, and suggests that forests present during the middle Pliocene within the Sunda Shelf were more evergreen and contiguous, while forests were more fragmented, transient, seasonal, or with lower density canopies in the Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor C Mason
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.,Victor C. Mason is now at Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Länggassstrasse, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Kristofer M Helgen
- School of Biological Sciences, Environment Institute, and Centre for Applied Conservation Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - William J Murphy
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
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Margaryan A, Sinding MHS, Liu S, Vieira FG, Chan YL, Nathan SKSS, Moodley Y, Bruford MW, Gilbert MTP. Recent mitochondrial lineage extinction in the critically endangered Javan rhinoceros. Zool J Linn Soc 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is one of five extant rhinoceros species and among the rarest large mammals on Earth. Once widespread across Southeast Asia, it is now on the verge of extinction, with only one wild population remaining (estimated at ~60 individuals) on the island of Java, Indonesia. To assess the past genetic diversity of the female lineage of R. sondaicus, we generated mitochondrial genome data from eight museum specimens dating back to the 19th century, before the range of the Javan rhinoceros was dramatically reduced, for comparison against mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of current R. sondaicus and other rhinoceros species. We succeeded in reconstructing five full and three partial ancient mitogenomes from the eight samples. We used BEAST to assess the phylogenetic relationship of the five extant rhinoceros species and the historical samples. The results show that the oldest and most diverse mtDNA lineages of R. sondaicus are found in historical samples, indicating a significant reduction of mtDNA diversity in modern Javan rhinos. We anticipate that the newly sequenced data will represent a useful resource for improving our understanding of evolutionary history of this species, should future studies be able to increase the available dataset. We hope this information may help in conservation efforts for this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashot Margaryan
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Institute of Molecular Biology, National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan, Armenia
| | - Mikkel-Holger S Sinding
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Shanlin Liu
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Filipe Garrett Vieira
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Yvonne L Chan
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE, Sweden
| | | | - Yoshan Moodley
- Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, Republic of South Africa
| | - Michael W Bruford
- School of Biosciences and Sustainable Places Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University Museum, Norway
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Mallet C, Cornette R, Billet G, Houssaye A. Interspecific variation in the limb long bones among modern rhinoceroses-extent and drivers. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7647. [PMID: 31579585 PMCID: PMC6766374 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Among amniotes, numerous lineages are subject to an evolutionary trend toward body mass and size increases. Large terrestrial species may face important constraints linked to weight bearing, and the limb segments are particularly affected by such constraints due to their role in body support and locomotion. Such groups showing important limb modifications related to high body mass have been called "graviportal." Often considered graviportal, rhinoceroses are among the heaviest terrestrial mammals and are thus of particular interest to understand the limb modifications related to body mass and size increase. Here, we present a morphofunctional study of the shape variation of the limb long bones among the five living rhinos to understand how the shape may vary between these species in relation with body size, body mass and phylogeny. We used three dimensional geometric morphometrics and comparative analyses to quantify the shape variation. Our results indicate that the five species display important morphological differences depending on the considered bones. The humerus and the femur exhibit noticeable interspecific differences between African and Asiatic rhinos, associated with a significant effect of body mass. The radius and ulna are more strongly correlated with body mass. While the tibia exhibits shape variation both linked with phylogeny and body mass, the fibula displays the greatest intraspecific variation. We highlight three distinct morphotypes of bone shape, which appear in accordance with the phylogeny. The influence of body mass also appears unequally expressed on the different bones. Body mass increase among the five extant species is marked by an increase of the general robustness, more pronounced attachments for muscles and a development of medial parts of the bones. Our study underlines that the morphological features linked to body mass increase are not similar between rhinos and other heavy mammals such as elephants and hippos, suggesting that the weight bearing constraint can lead to different morphological responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Mallet
- Mécanismes adaptatifs et évolution (MECADEV), UMR 7179, MNHN, CNRS, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Raphaël Cornette
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), UMR 7205, MNHN, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Billet
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie—Paris (CR2P), UMR CNRS 7207, MNHN, CNRS, SU, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Alexandra Houssaye
- Mécanismes adaptatifs et évolution (MECADEV), UMR 7179, MNHN, CNRS, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
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Matsui M, Komada N, Yamada K, Takada M, Nishikawa K, Tominaga A, Tanaka-Ueno T. Genetic Uniformity of Japanese Giant Salamander (Amphibia, Caudata) from Kiso River, Central Japan. CURRENT HERPETOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.5358/hsj.37.23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Masafumi Matsui
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, JAPAN
| | - Noritomo Komada
- Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Sciences, Nagoya Women's University, Shioji-cho 3-40, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8610, JAPAN
| | - Kumiko Yamada
- Faculty of Human Life and Environmental Sciences, Nagoya Women's University, Shioji-cho 3-40, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8610, JAPAN
| | - Makoto Takada
- The United Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Gifu University, Yanagido 1-1, Gifu 501-1193, JAPAN
| | - Kanto Nishikawa
- Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, JAPAN
| | - Atsushi Tominaga
- Faculty of Education, University of the Ryukyus, Senbaru 1, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0213, JAPAN
| | - Tomoko Tanaka-Ueno
- Laboratory of Biology, Meiji Gakuin University, Kamikurata-cho 1518, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama 244-8539, JAPAN
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Glaubrecht M, Neiber MT. Museum specimens as Noah’s Arc of lost genes. The case of a rhinoceros from Sumatra in the Zoological Museum Hamburg. EVOLUTIONARY SYSTEMATICS 2017. [DOI: 10.3897/evolsyst.1.20172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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Genetic variation of complete mitochondrial genome sequences of the Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). CONSERV GENET 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-017-1011-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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Rode-Margono EJ, Rademaker M, Wirdateti, Strijkstra A, Nekaris K. Noxious arthropods as potential prey of the venomous Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) in a West Javan volcanic agricultural system. J NAT HIST 2015. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1006282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Gubili C, Sims DW, Veríssimo A, Domenici P, Ellis J, Grigoriou P, Johnson AF, McHugh M, Neat F, Satta A, Scarcella G, Serra-Pereira B, Soldo A, Genner MJ, Griffiths AM. A tale of two seas: contrasting patterns of population structure in the small-spotted catshark across Europe. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2014; 1:140175. [PMID: 26064555 PMCID: PMC4448844 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.140175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Elasmobranchs represent important components of marine ecosystems, but they can be vulnerable to overexploitation. This has driven investigations into the population genetic structure of large-bodied pelagic sharks, but relatively little is known of population structure in smaller demersal taxa, which are perhaps more representative of the biodiversity of the group. This study explores spatial population genetic structure of the small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula), across European seas. The results show significant genetic differences among most of the Mediterranean sample collections, but no significant structure among Atlantic shelf areas. The data suggest the Mediterranean populations are likely to have persisted in a stable and structured environment during Pleistocene sea-level changes. Conversely, the Northeast Atlantic populations would have experienced major changes in habitat availability during glacial cycles, driving patterns of population reduction and expansion. The data also provide evidence of male-biased dispersal and female philopatry over large spatial scales, implying complex sex-determined differences in the behaviour of elasmobranchs. On the basis of this evidence, we suggest that patterns of connectivity are determined by trends of past habitat stability that provides opportunity for local adaptation in species exhibiting philopatric behaviour, implying that resilience of populations to fisheries and other stressors may differ across the range of species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chrysoula Gubili
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester M5 4WU, UK
| | - David W. Sims
- Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, The Laboratory, Plymouth PL1 2PB, UK
| | - Ana Veríssimo
- CIBIO-U.P., Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, Vairão 4485-661, Portugal
| | | | - Jim Ellis
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaclture Science (CEFAS), Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0HT, UK
| | - Panagiotis Grigoriou
- Cretaquarium, Thalassocosmos, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), PO Box 2214, Heraklion Crete 71003, Greece
| | - Andrew F. Johnson
- Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography 0202, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive, San Diego, CA 92083-0202, USA
| | - Matthew McHugh
- Marine and Estuarine Ecology Unit, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Francis Neat
- Marine Scotland—Science, Marine Laboratory, PO Box 101, Aberdeen AB11 9DB, UK
| | - Andrea Satta
- CNR-IAMC Località Sa Mardini, Torregrande 09170, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Scarcella
- ISMAR-CNR—Istituto di Scienze Marine, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Largo Fiera della Pesca 2, Ancona 60125, Italy
| | - Bárbara Serra-Pereira
- Departamento do Mar e Recursos Marinhos, IPMA, Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, Av. Brasilia, Lisboa 1449-006, Portugal
| | - Alen Soldo
- Department of Marine Studies, University of Split, Livanjska 5, Split 21000, Croatia
| | - Martin J. Genner
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Andrew M. Griffiths
- Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, The Laboratory, Plymouth PL1 2PB, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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Kotzé A, Dalton DL, du Toit R, Anderson N, Moodley Y. Genetic structure of the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) in south-eastern Africa. CONSERV GENET 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-014-0632-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Abstract
AbstractThe Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis is on the brink of extinction. Although habitat loss and poaching were the reasons of the decline, today's reproductive isolation is the main threat to the survival of the species. Genetic studies have played an important role in identifying conservation priorities, including for rhinoceroses. However, for a species such as the Sumatran rhinoceros, where time is of the essence in preventing extinction, to what extent should genetic and geographical distances be taken into account in deciding the most urgently needed conservation interventions? We propose that the populations of Sumatra and Borneo be considered as a single management unit.
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Anderson-Lederer RM, Linklater WL, Ritchie PA. Limited mitochondrial DNA variation within South Africa's black rhino (Diceros bicornis minor) population and implications for management. Afr J Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2012.01333.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rosalynn M. Anderson-Lederer
- Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology; School of Biological Sciences; Victoria University of Wellington; PO Box 600; Wellington; 6041; New Zealand
| | | | - Peter A. Ritchie
- Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology; School of Biological Sciences; Victoria University of Wellington; PO Box 600; Wellington; 6041; New Zealand
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Extremely low genetic diversity indicating the endangered status of Ranodon sibiricus (Amphibia: Caudata) and implications for phylogeography. PLoS One 2012; 7:e33378. [PMID: 22428037 PMCID: PMC3299782 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2011] [Accepted: 02/08/2012] [Indexed: 10/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Siberian salamander (Ranodon sibiricus), distributed in geographically isolated areas of Central Asia, is an ideal alpine species for studies of conservation and phylogeography. However, there are few data regarding the genetic diversity in R. sibiricus populations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We used two genetic markers (mtDNA and microsatellites) to survey all six populations of R. sibiricus in China. Both of the markers revealed extreme genetic uniformity among these populations. There were only three haplotypes in the mtDNA, and the overall nucleotide diversity in the mtDNA was 0.00064, ranging from 0.00000 to 0.00091 for the six populations. Although we recovered 70 sequences containing microsatellite repeats, there were only two loci that displayed polymorphism. We used the approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) method to study the demographic history of the populations. This analysis suggested that the extant populations diverged from the ancestral population approximately 120 years ago and that the historical population size was much larger than the present population size; i.e., R. sibiricus has experienced dramatic population declines. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE Our findings suggest that the genetic diversity in the R. sibiricus populations is the lowest among all investigated amphibians. We conclude that the isolation of R. sibiricus populations occurred recently and was a result of recent human activity and/or climatic changes. The Pleistocene glaciation oscillations may have facilitated intraspecies genetic homogeneity rather than enhanced divergence. A low genomic evolutionary rate and elevated inbreeding frequency may have also contributed to the low genetic variation observed in this species. Our findings indicate the urgency of implementing a protection plan for this endangered species.
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Groves CP, Leslie DM. Rhinoceros sondaicus (Perissodactyla: Rhinocerotidae). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.1644/887.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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POLICHT RICHARD, TOMÁŠOVÁ KRISTINA, HOLEČKOVÁ DANA, FRYNTA DANIEL. THE VOCAL REPERTOIRE IN NORTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROSCERATOTHERIUM SIMUM COTTONIAS RECORDED IN THE LAST SURVIVING HERD. BIOACOUSTICS 2008. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2008.9753591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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