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Al-Ghafri MK, White PJC, Briers RA, Dicks KL, Ball A, Ghazali M, Ross S, Al-Said T, Al-Amri H, Al-Umairi M, Al-Saadi H, Aka'ak A, Hardan A, Zabanoot N, Craig M, Senn H. Genetic diversity of the Nubian ibex in Oman as revealed by mitochondrial DNA. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210125. [PMID: 34084548 PMCID: PMC8150036 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) is patchily distributed across parts of Africa and Arabia. In Oman, it is one of the few free-ranging wild mammals found in the central and southern regions. Its population is declining due to habitat degradation, human expansion, poaching and fragmentation. Here, we investigated the population's genetic diversity using mitochondrial DNA (D-loop 186 bp and cytochrome b 487 bp). We found that the Nubian ibex in the southern region of Oman was more diverse (D-loop HD; 0.838) compared with the central region (0.511) and gene flow between them was restricted. We compared the genetic profiles of wild Nubian ibex from Oman with captive ibex. A Bayesian phylogenetic tree showed that wild Nubian ibex form a distinct clade independent from captive animals. This divergence was supported by high mean distances (D-loop 0.126, cytochrome b 0.0528) and high F ST statistics (D-loop 0.725, cytochrome b 0.968). These results indicate that captive ibex are highly unlikely to have originated from the wild population in Oman and the considerable divergence suggests that the wild population in Oman should be treated as a distinct taxonomic unit. Further nuclear genetic work will be required to fully elucidate the degree of global taxonomic divergence of Nubian ibex populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mataab K. Al-Ghafri
- School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK
- RZSS WildGenes, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
- Office for the Conservation of Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman
| | | | - Robert A. Briers
- School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Kara L. Dicks
- RZSS WildGenes, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alex Ball
- RZSS WildGenes, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Muhammad Ghazali
- RZSS WildGenes, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Steven Ross
- Office for the Conservation of Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman
| | - Taimur Al-Said
- Office for the Conservation of Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman
| | - Haitham Al-Amri
- Office for the Conservation of Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman
| | - Mudhafar Al-Umairi
- Office for the Conservation of Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman
| | - Hani Al-Saadi
- Office for the Conservation of Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman
| | - Ali Aka'ak
- Office for the Conservation of Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman
| | - Ahmed Hardan
- Office for the Conservation of Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman
| | - Nasser Zabanoot
- Office for the Conservation of Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, Oman
| | - Mark Craig
- Al Ain Zoo, Life Sciences Department, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Helen Senn
- RZSS WildGenes, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK
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Mesas A, Baldi R, González BA, Burgi V, Chávez A, Johnson WE, Marín JC. Past and Recent Effects of Livestock Activity on the Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Native Guanaco Populations of Arid Patagonia. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11051218. [PMID: 33922526 PMCID: PMC8146674 DOI: 10.3390/ani11051218] [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: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Determining the impacts of human activities on natural populations is important for biodiversity conservation. In this paper, we study the past and more recent effects of urbanization and livestock activity on the genetic diversity and population structure of endemic guanaco populations of the arid Monte and Patagonian Steppe of central Argentina. Our results reveal that urbanization, the installation of fences, and the competition from sheep grazing coincided with the isolation of several guanaco populations, especially in areas with the highest intensity of livestock activity. However, our genetic analyses suggest that a more recent increase in connectivity among groups is occurring. Our results highlight the importance of implementing conservation management plans for natural populations in arid and human-intervened environments. Abstract Extensive livestock production and urbanization entail modifications of natural landscapes, including installation of fences, development of agriculture, urbanization of natural areas, and construction of roads and infrastructure that, together, impact native fauna. Here, we evaluate the diversity and genetic structure of endemic guanacos (Lama guanicoe) of the Monte and Patagonian Steppe of central Argentina, which have been reduced and displaced by sheep ranching and other impacts of human activities. Analyses of genetic variation of microsatellite loci and d-loop revealed high levels of genetic variation and latitudinal segregation of mitochondrial haplotypes. There were indications of at least two historical populations in the Monte and the Patagonian Steppe based on shared haplotypes and shared demographic history among localities. Currently, guanacos are structured into three groups that were probably reconnected relatively recently, possibly facilitated by a reduction of sheep and livestock in recent decades and a recovery of the guanaco populations. These results provide evidence of the genetic effects of livestock activity and urbanization on wild herbivore populations, which were possibly exacerbated by an arid environment with limited productive areas. The results highlight the importance of enacting conservation management plans to ensure the persistence of ancestral and ecologically functional populations of guanacos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Mesas
- Laboratorio de Genómica y Biodiversidad, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Bio-Bío, Chillán 3780000, Chile; (A.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Ricardo Baldi
- Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales, Centro Nacional Patagónico, CONICET, Puerto Madryn U9120 ACD, Argentina; (R.B.); (V.B.)
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Buenos Aires C1426 AKC, Argentina
- South American Camelids Specialist Group, SSC, IUCN, Santiago 8330015, Chile;
| | - Benito A. González
- South American Camelids Specialist Group, SSC, IUCN, Santiago 8330015, Chile;
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Vida Silvestre, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y de la Conservación de la Naturaleza, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8330015, Chile
| | - Virginia Burgi
- Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales, Centro Nacional Patagónico, CONICET, Puerto Madryn U9120 ACD, Argentina; (R.B.); (V.B.)
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Buenos Aires C1426 AKC, Argentina
- South American Camelids Specialist Group, SSC, IUCN, Santiago 8330015, Chile;
| | - Alexandra Chávez
- Laboratorio de Genómica y Biodiversidad, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Bio-Bío, Chillán 3780000, Chile; (A.M.); (A.C.)
| | - Warren E. Johnson
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA;
| | - Juan C. Marín
- Laboratorio de Genómica y Biodiversidad, Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad del Bio-Bío, Chillán 3780000, Chile; (A.M.); (A.C.)
- Correspondence:
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