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Asadi Aghbolaghi M, Keyghobadi N, Azarakhsh Z, Dadizadeh M, Asadi Aghbolaghi S, Zamani N. An evaluation of isolation by distance and isolation by resistance on genetic structure of the Persian squirrel ( Sciurus anomalus) in the Zagros forests of Iran. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10225. [PMID: 37408621 PMCID: PMC10318582 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
For the conservation of wild species, it is important to understand how landscape change and land management can affect gene flow and movement. Landscape genetic analyses provide a powerful approach to infer effects of various landscape factors on gene flow, thereby informing conservation actions. The Persian squirrel is a keystone species in the woodlands and oak forests of Western Asia, where it has experienced recent habitat loss and fragmentation. We conducted landscape genetic analyses of individuals sampled in the northern Zagros Mountains of Iran (provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and Ilam), focusing on the evaluation of isolation by distance (IBD) and isolation by resistance (IBR), using 16 microsatellite markers. The roles of geographical distance and landscape features including roads, rivers, developed areas, farming and agriculture, forests, lakes, plantation forests, rangelands, shrublands, and rocky areas of varying canopy cover, and swamp margins on genetic structure were quantified using individual-based approaches and resistance surface modeling. We found a significant pattern of IBD but only weak support for an effect of forest cover on genetic structure and gene flow. It seems that geographical distance is an important factor limiting the dispersal of the Persian squirrel in this region. The results of the current study inform ongoing conservation programs for the Persian squirrel in the Zagros oak forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzieh Asadi Aghbolaghi
- Department of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, Environmental Sciences Research InstituteShahid Beheshti UniversityTehranIran
| | - Nusha Keyghobadi
- Department of BiologyThe University of Western OntarioLondonCanada
| | - Zeinab Azarakhsh
- Center of Remote Sensing and GIS Research, Faculty of Earth SciencesShahid Beheshti UniversityTehranIran
| | - Marzieh Dadizadeh
- Center of Remote Sensing and GIS Research, Faculty of Earth SciencesShahid Beheshti UniversityTehranIran
| | - Shahab Asadi Aghbolaghi
- Department of Education of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province (Ministry of Education)ShahrekordIran
| | - Navid Zamani
- Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Natural ResourceUniversity of KurdistanSanandajIran
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Rey-Iglesia A, Hjort J, Silva TL, Buuveibaatar B, Dalannast M, Ulziisaikhan T, Chimeddorj B, Espregueira-Themudo G, Campos PF. Genetic diversity of the endangered Mongolian saiga antelope Saiga tatarica mongolica (Artiodactyla: Bovidae) provides insights into conservation. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blac074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is one of the few megafauna species from the mammoth steppe still living today. Currently, saiga are classified as critically endangered, persisting only in small areas of Central Asian steppe and desert ecosystems. The species is divided into two subspecies: Saiga tatarica mongolica and Saiga tatarica tatarica. In this study, we have for the first time characterized the genetic diversity of the Mongolian saiga (S. t. mongolica) using both mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite markers. We also analysed S. t. tatarica specimens in order to genetically compare both subspecies. The mitochondrial control region was sequenced for a total of 89 individuals: 20 skin, 53 umbilical cord, three placentae and a muscle sample from S. t. mongolica, and a total of 12 hair samples from S. t. tatarica. Additionally, 19 microsatellites developed for saiga antelope were also screened. Our results revealed that the Mongolian saiga presents very low genetic diversity at the mitochondrial level, with no shared mitochondrial haplotype between the two subspecies. Low genetic diversity is also present at the autosomal level, with most loci having low heterozygosity (Ho/He) and a low number of alleles per locus. Despite the low genetic diversity, we found no separation between the subpopulations in Mongolia, indicating that conservation corridors are actually promoting contact between different herds. Our results validate current conservation efforts and inform the implementation of new measures to increase the viability of the S. t. mongolica subspecies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Rey-Iglesia
- GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Østervoldgade Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Jeanne Hjort
- Centre for Geogenetics, Natural History Museum Denmark, University of Copenhagen , Østervoldgade, Copenhagen , Denmark
| | - Teresa L Silva
- Microbiology and Infection Research Domain, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, University of Minho , Campus de Gualtar, Braga , Portugal
| | | | - Munkhnast Dalannast
- World Wide Fund for Nature, Mongolia Program Office , Ulaanbaatar , Mongolia
| | | | - Buyanaa Chimeddorj
- World Wide Fund for Nature, Mongolia Program Office , Ulaanbaatar , Mongolia
| | - Gonçalo Espregueira-Themudo
- CIIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto , Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, S/N, Matosinhos , Portugal
| | - Paula F Campos
- Centre for Geogenetics, Natural History Museum Denmark, University of Copenhagen , Østervoldgade, Copenhagen , Denmark
- CIIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto , Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, Avenida General Norton de Matos, S/N, Matosinhos , Portugal
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Rodrigues Soares AE, Boroffka N, Schröder O, Sverchkov L, Benecke N, Günther T. Ancient DNA from a 2700-year-old goitered gazelle ( Gazella subgutturosa) supports gazelle hunting in Iron Age Central Asia. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220104. [PMID: 35719876 PMCID: PMC9198508 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Central Asia has been an important region connecting the different parts of Eurasia throughout history and prehistory, with large states developing in this region during the Iron Age. Archaeogenomics is a powerful addition to the zooarchaeological toolkit for understanding the relation of these societies to animals. Here, we present the genetic identification of a goitered gazelle specimen (Gazella subgutturosa) at the site Gazimulla-Tepa, in modern-day Uzbekistan, supporting hunting of the species in the region during the Iron Age. The sample was directly radiocarbon dated to 2724-2439 calBP. A phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial genome places the individual into the modern variation of G. subgutturosa. Our data do represent both the first ancient DNA and the first nuclear DNA sequences of this species. The lack of genomic resources available for this gazelle and related species prevented us from performing a more in-depth analysis of the nuclear sequences generated. Therefore, we are making our sequence data available to the research community to facilitate other research of this nowadays threatened species which has been subject to human hunting for several millennia across its entire range on the Asian continent.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nikolaus Boroffka
- Eurasia Department, German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oskar Schröder
- Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Leonid Sverchkov
- Institute of Fine Arts, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
| | - Norbert Benecke
- Department of Natural Sciences, German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Torsten Günther
- Human Evolution Program, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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Assessing the origin, genetic structure and demographic history of the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in the introduced European range. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21721. [PMID: 34741053 PMCID: PMC8571287 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00567-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The common pheasant, a game species widely introduced throughout the world, can be considered as an ideal model to study the effects of introduction events on local adaptations, biogeographic patterns, and genetic divergence processes. We aimed to assess the origin, spatial patterns of genetic variation, and demographic history of the introduced populations in the contact zone of Central and Southeast Europe, using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and microsatellite loci. Both types of molecular markers indicated relatively low to moderate levels of genetic variation. The mtDNA analyses revealed that common pheasants across the study area are divided into two distinct clades: B (mongolicus group) and F (colchicus group). Analyses of the microsatellite data consistently suggested a differentiation between Hungary and Serbia, with the pheasant population in Hungary being much more genetically homogeneous, while that of Serbia has much more genetic mixture and admixture. This cryptic differentiation was not detected using a non-spatial Bayesian clustering model. The analyses also provided strong evidence for a recent population expansion. This fundamental information is essential for adequate and effective conservation management of populations of a game species of great economic and ecological importance in the studied geographical region.
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Habitat Connectivity for the Conservation of Small Ungulates in A Human-Dominated Landscape. ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/ijgi10030180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Conserving landscape connections among favorable habitats is a widely used strategy to maintain populations in an increasingly fragmented world. A species can then exist as a metapopulation consisting of several subpopulations connected by dispersal. Our study focuses on the importance of human–wildlife coexistence areas in maintaining connectivity among primary habitats of small ungulates within and outside protected areas in a large landscape in central India. We used geospatial information and species presence data to model the suitable habitats, core habitats, and connectivity corridors for four antelope species in an ~89,000 km2 landscape. We found that about 63% of the core habitats, integrated across the four species, lie outside the protected areas. We then measured connectivity in two scenarios: the present setting, and a hypothetical future setting—where habitats outside protected areas are lost. We also modelled the areas with a high risk of human-influenced antelope mortality using eco-geographical variables and wildlife mortality records. Overall, we found that the habitats in multiple-use forests play a central role in maintaining the connectivity network for antelopes. Sizable expanses of privately held farmlands and plantations also contribute to the essential movement corridors. Some perilous patches with greater mortality risk for species require mitigation measures such as underpasses, overpasses, and fences. Greater conservation efforts are needed in the spaces of human–wildlife coexistence to conserve the habitat network of small ungulates.
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Fadakar D, Malekian M, Hemami MR, Lerp H, Rezaei HR, Bärmann EV. Repeated hybridization of two closely related gazelle species ( Gazella bennettii and Gazella subgutturosa) in central Iran. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:11372-11386. [PMID: 33144971 PMCID: PMC7593154 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Interspecific hybridization increasingly occurs in the course of anthropogenic actions, such as species translocations and introductions, and habitat modifications or occurs in sympatric species due to the shortage of conspecific mates. Compared with anthropogenically caused hybridization, natural hybridization is more difficult to prove, but both play an important role in conservation. In this study, we detected hybridization of two gazelle sister species, Gazella bennettii (adapted to dry areas) and Gazella subgutturosa (adapted to open plains), in five habitat areas, where G. bennettii naturally occur in central Iran. The hybrids have a nuclear genomic identity (based on two introns), habitat preference, and phenotype of G. bennettii, but the mitochondrial identity (based on cyt b) of G. subgutturosa. We suggest that natural hybridization of female G. subgutturosa and male G. bennettii happened twice in central Iran in prehistoric times, based on the haplotype pattern that we found. However, we found indications of recent hybridization between both species under special circumstances, for example, in breeding centers, due to translocations, or in areas of sympatry due to the shortage of conspecific mates. Therefore, these two species must be kept separately in the breeding centers, and introduction of one of them into the habitat of the other must be strictly avoided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davoud Fadakar
- Department of Natural ResourcesIsfahan University of TechnologyIsfahanIran
| | - Mansoureh Malekian
- Department of Natural ResourcesIsfahan University of TechnologyIsfahanIran
| | - Mahmoud R. Hemami
- Department of Natural ResourcesIsfahan University of TechnologyIsfahanIran
| | - Hannes Lerp
- Natural History CollectionsMuseum WiesbadenWiesbadenGermany
| | - Hamid R. Rezaei
- Department of Fishery and EnvironmentGorgan University of Agricultural Science and Natural ResourcesGorganIran
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REZVANI A, MALAKOUTIKHAH S, FAKHERAN S, SOSSFIANIAN A, HEMAMI MR, SENN J. Comparing landscape suitability and permeability with and without migration data: the influence of species movement behavior. TURK J ZOOL 2020. [DOI: 10.3906/zoo-2003-41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Malakoutikhah S, Fakheran S, Hemami M, Tarkesh M, Senn J. Assessing future distribution, suitability of corridors and efficiency of protected areas to conserve vulnerable ungulates under climate change. DIVERS DISTRIB 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shima Malakoutikhah
- Department of Natural Resources Isfahan University of Technology Isfahan Iran
| | - Sima Fakheran
- Department of Natural Resources Isfahan University of Technology Isfahan Iran
| | - Mahmoud‐Reza Hemami
- Department of Natural Resources Isfahan University of Technology Isfahan Iran
| | - Mostafa Tarkesh
- Department of Natural Resources Isfahan University of Technology Isfahan Iran
| | - Josef Senn
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL Birmensdorf Switzerland
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Fadakar D, Bärmann EV, Lerp H, Mirzakhah M, Naseri Nasari M, Rezaei HR. Diversification and subspecies patterning of the goitered gazelle ( Gazella subgutturosa) in Iran. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:5877-5891. [PMID: 32607197 PMCID: PMC7319147 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Goitered gazelles, Gazella subgutturosa, exist in arid and semiarid regions of Asia from the Middle to the Far East. Although large populations were present over a vast area until recently, a decline of the population as a result of hunting, poaching, and habitat loss led to the IUCN classification of G. subgutturosa as "vulnerable." We examined genetic diversity, structure, and phylogeny of G. subgutturosa using mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences from 18 geographically distant populations in Iran. The median-joining network of cyt b haplotypes indicated that three clades of goitered gazelles can be distinguished: a Middle Eastern clade west of the Zagros Mountains (and connected to populations in Turkey and Iraq), a Central Iranian clade (with connection to Azerbaijan), and an Asiatic clade in northeastern Iran (with connection to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and other Asian countries as far as northeastern China and Mongolia). Based on our results, we argue that Iran is the center of diversification of goitered gazelles, due to the presence of large mountain ranges and deserts that lead to the separation of populations. In accordance with previous morphological studies, we identified the Asiatic clade as the subspecies G. s. yarkandensis, and the other two clades as the nominate form G. s. subgutturosa. The new genetic information for goitered gazelles in Iran provides the basis for future national conservation programs of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davoud Fadakar
- Department of Natural ResourcesIsfahan University of TechnologyIsfahanIran
- Department of Fishery and EnvironmentGorgan University of Agricultural Science and Natural ResourcesGorganIran
| | | | | | - Masoumeh Mirzakhah
- Department of Fishery and EnvironmentGorgan University of Agricultural Science and Natural ResourcesGorganIran
| | - Maryam Naseri Nasari
- Department of Fishery and EnvironmentGorgan University of Agricultural Science and Natural ResourcesGorganIran
| | - Hamid Reza Rezaei
- Department of Fishery and EnvironmentGorgan University of Agricultural Science and Natural ResourcesGorganIran
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Hosseini M, Farashi A, Khani A, Farhadinia MS. Landscape connectivity for mammalian megafauna along the Iran-Turkmenistan-Afghanistan borderland. J Nat Conserv 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2019.125735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Khosravi R, Malekian M, Hemami MR, Silva TL, Brito JC. Low genetic diversity in the vulnerable Goitred Gazelle, Gazella subgutturosa (Cetartiodactyla: Bovidae), in Iran: potential genetic consequence of recent population declines. ZOOLOGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/09397140.2019.1586127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rasoul Khosravi
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mansoureh Malekian
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Mahmoud-Reza Hemami
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Teresa Luísa Silva
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - José Carlos Brito
- CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos da Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Abduriyim S, Zibibulla G, Eli S, Ismayil Z, Halik M. Phylogeny and genetic structure of the goitered gazelle (Artiodactyla, Bovidae) in north-western China indicated by the hypervariable mitochondrial control region. SYST BIODIVERS 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2018.1470583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shamshidin Abduriyim
- College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
- Department of Natural History Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Guzalnur Zibibulla
- College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
| | - Subinur Eli
- College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
| | - Zorigul Ismayil
- College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
| | - Mahmut Halik
- College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China
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