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Zanvo S, Djagoun CAMS, Azihou AF, Djossa B, Afiademanyo K, Olayemi A, Agbangla C, Sinsin B, Gaubert P. Can DNA help trace the local trade of pangolins? Conservation genetics of white-bellied pangolins from the Dahomey Gap (West Africa). BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:16. [PMID: 35164675 PMCID: PMC8842964 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-01971-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND African pangolins are currently experiencing unprecedented levels of harvesting, feeding both local demands and the illegal international trade. So far, the lack of knowledge on the population genetics of African pangolins has hampered any attempts at assessing their demographic status and tracing their trade at the local scale. We conducted a pioneer study on the genetic tracing of the African pangolin trade in the Dahomey Gap (DG). We sequenced and genotyped 189 white-bellied pangolins from 18 forests and 12 wildlife markets using one mitochondrial fragment and 20 microsatellite loci. RESULTS Tree-based assignment procedure showed that the pangolin trade is endemic to the DG region, as it was strictly fed by the the Dahomey Gap lineage (DGL). DGL populations were characterized by low levels of genetic diversity, an overall absence of equilibrium, important inbreeding levels, and lack of geographic structure. We identified a 92-98% decline in DGL effective population size 200-500 ya-concomitant with major political transformations along the 'Slave Coast'-leading to contemporaneous estimates being inferior to minimum viable population size (< 500). Genetic tracing suggested that wildlife markets from the DG sourced pangolins through the entire DGL range. Our loci provided the necessary power to distinguish among all the genotyped pangolins, tracing the dispatch of a same individual on the markets and within local communities. We developed an approach combining rarefaction analysis of private allele frequencies with cross-validation of observed data that traced five traded pangolins to their forest origin, c. 200-300 km away from the markets. CONCLUSIONS Although the genetic toolkit that we designed from traditional markers can prove helpful to trace the illegal trade in pangolins, our tracing ability was limited by the lack of population structure within the DGL. Given the deleterious combination of genetic, demographic, and trade-related factors affecting DGL populations, the conservation status of white-bellied pangolins in the DG should be urgently re-evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislas Zanvo
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Benin.
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), CNRS/UPS/IRD, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier - Bâtiment 4R1, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse cedex 9, France.
| | - Chabi A M S Djagoun
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Akomian F Azihou
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Bruno Djossa
- Laboratoire de Foresterie et de Conservation des Bioressources (LaFCBio), Ecole de Foresterie Tropicale, Université Nationale d'Agriculture, Kétou, Benin
| | - Komlan Afiademanyo
- Département de Zoologie et de Biologie Animale, Université de Lomé, BP 1515, Lomé, Togo
| | - Ayodeji Olayemi
- Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, HO, Ile-Ife, 220005, Nigeria
| | - Clément Agbangla
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire et d'Analyse des Génomes, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, 01BP 526, Cotonou, Bénin
| | - Brice Sinsin
- Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 01 BP 526, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Philippe Gaubert
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), CNRS/UPS/IRD, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier - Bâtiment 4R1, 118 route de Narbonne, 31062, Toulouse cedex 9, France.
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Oboudi R, Malekian M, Khosravi R, Fadakar D, Adibi MA. Genetic structure and ecological niche segregation of Indian gray mongoose ( Urva edwardsii) in Iran. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:14813-14827. [PMID: 34765143 PMCID: PMC8571580 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Combining genetic data with ecological niche models is an effective approach for exploring climatic and nonclimatic environmental variables affecting spatial patterns of intraspecific genetic variation. Here, we adopted this combined approach to evaluate genetic structure and ecological niche of the Indian gray mongoose (Urva edwardsii) in Iran, as the most western part of the species range. Using mtDNA, we confirmed the presence of two highly differentiated clades. Then, we incorporated ensemble of small models (ESMs) using climatic and nonclimatic variables with genetic data to assess whether genetic differentiation among clades was coupled with their ecological niche. Climate niche divergence was also examined based on a principal component analysis on climatic factors only. The relative habitat suitability values predicted by the ESMs for both clades revealed their niche separation. Between-clade climate only niche comparison revealed that climate space occupied by clades is similar to some extent, but the niches that they utilize differ between the distribution ranges of clades. We found that in the absence of evidence for recent genetic exchanges, distribution models suggest the species occurs in different niches and that there are apparent areas of disconnection across the species range. The estimated divergence time between the two Iranian clades (4.9 Mya) coincides with the uplifting of the Zagros Mountains during the Early Pliocene. The Zagros mountain-building event seems to have prevented the distribution of U. edwardsii populations between the western and eastern parts of the mountains as a result of vicariance events. Our findings indicated that the two U. edwardsii genetic clades in Iran can be considered as two conservation units and can be utilized to develop habitat-specific and climate change-integrated management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Razie Oboudi
- Department of Natural ResourcesIsfahan University of TechnologyIsfahanIran
| | - Mansoureh Malekian
- Department of Natural ResourcesIsfahan University of TechnologyIsfahanIran
| | - Rasoul Khosravi
- Department of Natural ResourcesSchool of AgricultureShiraz UniversityShirazIran
| | - Davoud Fadakar
- Department of Natural ResourcesIsfahan University of TechnologyIsfahanIran
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Bulut Ş, Karacan GO. Taxonomic status of Dahl’s Jird, Meriones dahli, as inferred from cytochrome b and IRBP gene sequences (Mammalia: Rodentia). ZOOLOGY IN THE MIDDLE EAST 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/09397140.2021.1992835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Şafak Bulut
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Art and Sciences, Hitit University, Çorum, Turkey
| | - Gül Olgun Karacan
- Vocational School of Health Services, Aksaray University, Aksaray, Turkey
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Oates JF, Woodman N, Gaubert P, Sargis EJ, Wiafe ED, Lecompte E, Dowsett-Lemaire F, Dowsett RJ, Gonedelé Bi S, Ikemeh RA, Djagoun CAMS, Tomsett L, Bearder SK. A new species of tree hyrax (Procaviidae: Dendrohyrax) from West Africa and the significance of the Niger–Volta interfluvium in mammalian biogeography. Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Tree hyraxes (Dendrohyrax) are one of only three genera currently recognized in Procaviidae, the only extant family in the mammalian order Hyracoidea. Their taxonomy and natural history have received little attention in recent decades. All tree hyrax populations of Guineo-Congolian forests of Africa are currently treated as a single species, Dendrohyrax dorsalis, the western tree hyrax, but many other groups of mammals distributed across this large biome have been shown to consist of several different species, each restricted to a distinct biogeographical region. We analysed variation in loud-call structure, pelage colour, skull morphometrics and mitochondrial genomes in populations across much of the range of D. dorsalis. This integrative approach uncovered considerable cryptic variation. The population found between the Niger and Volta Rivers in West Africa is particularly distinctive, and we describe it herein as a new species. Our study highlights the need to revise the taxonomy of the genus Dendrohyrax in light of modern systematics and current understanding of its distribution. It also adds to a growing body of evidence that the Niger–Volta interfluvium has a distinct meso-mammal fauna. Unfortunately, the fauna of this region is under major threat and warrants much greater conservation attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- John F Oates
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College CUNY, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Neal Woodman
- U. S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Research Center, Laurel, MD 20708, USA
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Philippe Gaubert
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, IRD/CNRS/UPS, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Eric J Sargis
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Divisions of Vertebrate Zoology and Vertebrate Paleontology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Edward D Wiafe
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Somanya, Ghana
| | - Emilie Lecompte
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, IRD/CNRS/UPS, Université Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | | | | | - Sery Gonedelé Bi
- Département de Génétique, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 01 BP V34 Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| | | | - Chabi A M S Djagoun
- Laboratoire d’Ecologie Appliquée, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, 01 B.P. 526 Cotonou, Benin
| | - Louise Tomsett
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Simon K Bearder
- School of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK
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Wells CD, Harris LG. Out of the Blue: The Failure of the Introduced Sea Anemone Sagartia elegans (Dalyell, 1848) in Salem Harbor, Massachusetts. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2019; 237:283-291. [PMID: 31922904 DOI: 10.1086/705515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Failed invasions can be a key component for understanding and controlling introduced populations because understanding mechanisms behind failures can improve effective controls. In 2000, the non-native sea anemone Sagartia elegans was first found in Salem, Massachusetts, and it recolonized each summer. No individuals of S. elegans have been found after 2010, despite intensive search efforts. A mismatch between the species' thermal tolerance and winter water temperature is the most likely mechanism for this failed invasion. In both laboratory- and field-based temperature growth studies, S. elegans began regressing at 11 °C, stopped asexually reproducing at 9 °C, and died by 4 °C. These temperatures are above the average winter sea surface temperature in the Gulf of Maine, therefore suggesting that S. elegans requires a warm-water refuge. Another potential contributor to the disappearance of S. elegans is low genetic diversity as a result of establishment of only females (likely clones) and no males.
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Barros T, Gaubert P, Rocha RG, Bandeira V, Souto L, Mira A, Fonseca C. Mitochondrial demographic history of the Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), an expanding carnivore in the Iberian Peninsula. Mamm Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2015.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Angelici FM. Fate of the Mongooses and the Genet (Carnivora) in Mediterranean Europe: None Native, All Invasive? PROBLEMATIC WILDLIFE 2016. [PMCID: PMC7123068 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-22246-2_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The Mediterranean Basin (MB), connected by cultural exchanges since prehistoric times, provides an outstanding framework to study species introductions, notably in mammals. Carnivores are among the most successful mammalian invaders. As such, a number of middle-sized representatives (“mesocarnivores”) such as the domestic cat and mongooses have been pinpointed for their deleterious impact on the native fauna. In the MB, three species of mongooses (Herpestidae) and one genet (Viverridae) are or have recently been recorded and none of them has been considered native: the Indian grey mongoose Herpestes edwardsii, the small Indian mongoose H. auropunctatus, the Egyptian mongoose H. ichneumon, and the common genet Genetta genetta. In order to clarify the history of introduction and status of the mongooses and genet in Europe, I review various bodies of evidence including (1) their natural history and relationships with humans in their native ranges, (2) their history of introduction in Europe, (3) the enlightenments—and sometimes contradictions—brought by recent genetic analyses on their dispersal histories, and (4) their range dynamics and ecological interactions with the European fauna. The species of herpestids and viverrids present in Europe fall into three categories: (1) introduced and spreading (G. genetta, H. auropunctatus), (2) introduced and extinct (H. edwardsii), and (3) natural disperser and spreading (H. ichneumon). In view of the reviewed evidence, there is weak support for a deleterious impact of the mongooses and genet on the European fauna (except possibly on the herpetofauna of small Adriatic islands in the case of H. auropunctatus), notably in comparison with genuine invasive species such as the black rat and the domestic cat. Rather than inefficient control programs such as those targeting H. ichneumon in Portugal and H. auropunctatus in Croatia, we suggest that a greater attention is focused on the restoration of large Carnivores (the natural regulators of mesocarnivore populations), mesocarnivore communities and natural habitats, to contribute to a more sustainable way of “managing” the mongooses and genet in Europe.
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Peacock D, Abbott I. The mongoose in Australia: failed introduction of a biological control agent. AUST J ZOOL 2010. [DOI: 10.1071/zo10043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
We reviewed historical literature and obtained nearly 200 records of the mongoose in Australia up to 1942. Although the earliest importations (from 1855) were for its snake-killing prowess, often as entertainment, its perceived potential as a control agent for the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) plague saw concerted introductions made in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, primarily in 1883 and 1884. At least 1000 mongoose were released to control rabbits at 14 reported release locations in these states. As many as 700 of these mongoose were reported released in one New South Wales rabbit-control trial. These numbers indicate that insufficient propagule pressure does not explain why Australia escaped the additional devastation of an established mongoose population. The only reason stated for the failure of the mongoose releases to control rabbits is destruction of the mongoose by rabbit trappers, both inadvertently and in seeking to protect their employment. Unfavourable climate was implicated by CLIMATCH modelling in the failure of all releases, especially those into semiarid areas such as western New South Wales. No contemporary detail could be located of the reported 1884 failed introduction of ‘numbers’ of mongoose into North Queensland to control rats in sugarcane plantations.
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