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Dolker S, Jabin G, Singh SK, Joshi BD, Singh VK, Dalui S, Chandra K, Sharma LK, Thakur M. Landscape genetics identified conservation priority areas for blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) in the Indian Trans-Himalayan Region. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18152. [PMID: 37875501 PMCID: PMC10598060 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44823-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The trans-Himalayan region of India, although have xeric features, still supports a unique assemblage of biodiversity, including some of the charismatic and endemic species. In the present study, we studied blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) across the distribution range in the Western trans Himalayas of India and found about 18,775 km2 area suitable for blue sheep. The explicit Bayesian based spatial and non-spatial population structure analysis assigned blue sheep into two genetic populations, i.e., Ladakh and Lahaul-Spiti. We found relatively high genetic divergence in blue sheep which is also supported by the low current flow in Circuitscape model. With the multiple evidences, we explain landscape resistance facilitated by the landscape heterogeneity, and large patches of unsuitable habitats forced population divergence and poor functional connectivity. We found that blue sheep population has been demographically stable in the past, but showed a slight decline within the last few decades. This study is the first range-wide attempt to exhibit landscape features in shaping the spatial distribution, genetic structure and demography patterns of blue sheep in Western Himalayas, and will be of use in the conservation and management planning of blue sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanzin Dolker
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, 700053, West Bengal, India
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, 700019, West Bengal, India
| | - Gul Jabin
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, 700053, West Bengal, India
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, 700019, West Bengal, India
| | - Sujeet Kumar Singh
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, 700053, West Bengal, India
- Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University Campus, Sector-125, Noida, 201303, UP, India
| | - Bheem Dutt Joshi
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Vinaya Kumar Singh
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Supriyo Dalui
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, 700053, West Bengal, India
- Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, 700019, West Bengal, India
| | - Kailash Chandra
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Lalit Kumar Sharma
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Mukesh Thakur
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, 700053, West Bengal, India.
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Joshi BD, Singh SK, Singh VK, Jabin G, Ghosh A, Dalui S, Singh A, Priyambada P, Dolker S, Mukherjee T, Sharief A, Kumar V, Singh H, Thapa A, Sharma CM, Dutta R, Bhattacharjee S, Singh I, Mehar BS, Chandra K, Sharma LK, Thakur M. From poops to planning: A broad non-invasive genetic survey of large mammals from the Indian Himalayan Region. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 853:158679. [PMID: 36099955 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Large forested landscapes often harbour significant amount of biodiversity and support mankind by rendering various livelihood opportunities and ecosystem services. Their periodic assessment for health and ecological integrity is essential for timely mitigation of any negative impact of human use due to over harvesting of natural resources or unsustainable developmental activities. In this context, monitoring of mega fauna may provide reasonable insights about the connectivity and quality of forested habitats. In the present study, we conducted a largest non-invasive genetic survey to explore mammalian diversity and genetically characterized 13 mammals from the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). We analyzed 4806 faecal samples using 103 autosomal microsatellites and with three mitochondrial genes, we identified 37 species of mammal. We observed low to moderate level of genetic variability and most species exhibited stable demographic history. We estimated an unbiased population genetic account (PGAunbias) for 13 species that may be monitored after a fixed time interval to understand species performance in response to the landscape changes. The present study has been evident to show pragmatic permeability with the representative sampling in the IHR in order to facilitate the development of species-oriented conservation and management programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bheem Dutt Joshi
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Sujeet Kumar Singh
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India; Present address: Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University, Noida 201303, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Vinaya Kumar Singh
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Gul Jabin
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Avijit Ghosh
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Supriyo Dalui
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Abhishek Singh
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | | | - Stanzin Dolker
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Tanoy Mukherjee
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Amira Sharief
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Vineet Kumar
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Hemant Singh
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Avantika Thapa
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | | | - Ritam Dutta
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | | | - Inder Singh
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Balram Singh Mehar
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Kailash Chandra
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Lalit Kumar Sharma
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India
| | - Mukesh Thakur
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, India.
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3
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Barros T, Fernandes JM, Ferreira E, Carvalho J, Valldeperes M, Lavín S, Fonseca C, Ruiz-Olmo J, Serrano E. Genetic signature of blind reintroductions of Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) in Catalonia, Northeast Spain. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0269873. [PMID: 36129880 PMCID: PMC9491545 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Iberian ibex is one of the most singular species of the Iberian Peninsula. Throughout the years, this species suffered several threats which led the population to its decline. Many reintroductions and translocations were made, however, none of those actions took into account the genetic patterns of both reintroduced individuals and the target populations. In this paper, we explored the genetic traits of three populations of Iberian ibex in Catalonia, which experienced blind reintroductions in past years: The populations of Iberian ibex from Els Ports de Tortosa i Beseit National Game Reserve (TBNGR), Montserrat Natural Park (Monserrat) and Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter Natural Park (Montgrí) Based on the genetic patterns of the three populations coupled with the absence of genetic introgression with domestic goats–inferred using mitochondrial and nuclear markers–we propose that these should be regarded as two different management units: TBNGR coupled with Montserrat, and Montgrí. Montserrat population should be targeted as a population model for ecology and evolution studies. Although we did not detect evidences of recent bottleneck events, this population seems to be monomorphic for the mtDNA haplotype. Our results suggest that the blind reintroductions from TBNGR to Montserrat failed on maximizing the genetic diversity of the latter. We enhance the importance of genetic monitoring of both the source population and the selected individuals to be re-introduced. We conclude that the three studied population of Iberian ibex must be monitored to explore which strategy would be advantageous for maintaining the genetic diversity. On the other hand, TBNGR should be monitored to assess the existence of its singular genetic variation, where stochastic events could preserve this lost genetic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tânia Barros
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar) Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
- * E-mail:
| | - Joana M. Fernandes
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar) Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Eduardo Ferreira
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar) Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - João Carvalho
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar) Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
- Dept Medicina i Cirurgia Animals Facultat de Veterinària, Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H) Servei d’ Ecopatologia de Fauna (SEFaS), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, España
| | - Marta Valldeperes
- Dept Medicina i Cirurgia Animals Facultat de Veterinària, Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H) Servei d’ Ecopatologia de Fauna (SEFaS), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, España
| | - Santiago Lavín
- Dept Medicina i Cirurgia Animals Facultat de Veterinària, Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H) Servei d’ Ecopatologia de Fauna (SEFaS), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, España
| | - Carlos Fonseca
- Departamento de Biologia & CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar) Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
- ForestWISE—Collaborative Laboratory for Integrated Forest & Fire Management, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Jordi Ruiz-Olmo
- Dirección General de Ecosistemas Forestales y Gestión del Medio (DARP), Barcelona, España
| | - Emmanuel Serrano
- Dept Medicina i Cirurgia Animals Facultat de Veterinària, Wildlife Ecology & Health group (WE&H) Servei d’ Ecopatologia de Fauna (SEFaS), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Barcelona, España
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Universitá di Torino, Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
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Robin M, Ferrari G, Akgül G, Münger X, von Seth J, Schuenemann VJ, Dalén L, Grossen C. Ancient mitochondrial and modern whole genomes unravel massive genetic diversity loss during near extinction of Alpine ibex. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:3548-3565. [PMID: 35560856 PMCID: PMC9328357 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Population bottlenecks can have dramatic consequences for the health and long-term survival of a species. Understanding of historic population size and standing genetic variation prior to a contraction allows estimating the impact of a bottleneck on the species genetic diversity. Although historic population sizes can be modelled based on extant genomics, uncertainty is high for the last 10-20 millenia. Hence, integrating ancient genomes provides a powerful complement to retrace the evolution of genetic diversity through population fluctuations. Here, we recover 15 high-quality mitogenomes of the once nearly extinct Alpine ibex spanning 8601 BP to 1919 CE and combine these with 60 published modern whole genomes. Coalescent demography simulations based on modern whole genomes indicate population fluctuations coinciding with the last major glaciation period. Using our ancient and historic mitogenomes, we investigate the more recent demographic history of the species and show that mitochondrial haplotype diversity was reduced to a fifth of the pre-bottleneck diversity with several highly differentiated mitochondrial lineages having co-existed historically. The main collapse of mitochondrial diversity coincides with elevated human population growth during the last 1-2 kya. After recovery, one lineage was spread and nearly fixed across the Alps due to recolonization efforts. Our study highlights that a combined approach integrating genomic data of ancient, historic and extant populations unravels major long-term population fluctuations from the emergence of a species through its near extinction up to the recent past.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathieu Robin
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland.,Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Giada Ferrari
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Gülfirde Akgül
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Xenia Münger
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Johanna von Seth
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.,Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Love Dalén
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.,Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christine Grossen
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Cardoso TF, Luigi‐Sierra MG, Castelló A, Cabrera B, Noce A, Mármol‐Sánchez E, García‐González R, Fernández‐Arias A, Alabart JL, López‐Olvera JR, Mentaberre G, Granados‐Torres JE, Cardells‐Peris J, Molina A, Sànchez A, Clop A, Amills M. Assessing the levels of intraspecific admixture and interspecific hybridization in Iberian wild goats ( Capra pyrenaica). Evol Appl 2021; 14:2618-2634. [PMID: 34815743 PMCID: PMC8591326 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Iberian wild goats (Capra pyrenaica, also known as Iberian ibex, Spanish ibex, and Spanish wild goat) underwent strong genetic bottlenecks during the 19th and 20th centuries due to overhunting and habitat destruction. From the 1970s to 1990s, augmentation translocations were frequently carried out to restock Iberian wild goat populations (very often with hunting purposes), but they were not systematically planned or recorded. On the other hand, recent data suggest the occurrence of hybridization events between Iberian wild goats and domestic goats (Capra hircus). Augmentation translocations and interspecific hybridization might have contributed to increase the diversity of Iberian wild goats. With the aim of investigating this issue, we have genotyped 118 Iberian wild goats from Tortosa-Beceite, Sierra Nevada, Muela de Cortes, Gredos, Batuecas, and Ordesa and Monte Perdido by using the Goat SNP50 BeadChip (Illumina). The analysis of genotypic data indicated that Iberian wild goat populations are strongly differentiated and display low diversity. Only three Iberian wild goats out from 118 show genomic signatures of mixed ancestry, a result consistent with a scenario in which past augmentation translocations have had a limited impact on the diversity of Iberian wild goats. Besides, we have detected eight Iberian wild goats from Tortosa-Beceite with signs of domestic goat introgression. Although rare, hybridization with domestic goats could become a potential threat to the genetic integrity of Iberian wild goats; hence, measures should be taken to avoid the presence of uncontrolled herds of domestic or feral goats in mountainous areas inhabited by this iconic wild ungulate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tainã Figueiredo Cardoso
- Department of Animal GeneticsCentre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG)CSIC‐IRTA‐UAB‐UBCampus de la Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - María Gracia Luigi‐Sierra
- Department of Animal GeneticsCentre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG)CSIC‐IRTA‐UAB‐UBCampus de la Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - Anna Castelló
- Department of Animal GeneticsCentre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG)CSIC‐IRTA‐UAB‐UBCampus de la Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
- Departament de Ciència Animal i dels AlimentsUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - Betlem Cabrera
- Department of Animal GeneticsCentre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG)CSIC‐IRTA‐UAB‐UBCampus de la Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
- Departament de Ciència Animal i dels AlimentsUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - Antonia Noce
- Leibniz‐Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN)DummerstorfGermany
| | - Emilio Mármol‐Sánchez
- Department of Animal GeneticsCentre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG)CSIC‐IRTA‐UAB‐UBCampus de la Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | | | - Alberto Fernández‐Arias
- Servicio de Caza y PescaDepartamento de Agricultura, Ganadería y Medio AmbienteGobierno de AragónZaragozaSpain
| | - José Luis Alabart
- Unidad de Producción y Sanidad AnimalCentro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA)Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón ‐ IA2 (CITA‐Universidad de Zaragoza)Gobierno de AragónZaragozaSpain
| | - Jorge Ramón López‐Olvera
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group and Servei d’Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS)Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia AnimalsUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - Gregorio Mentaberre
- Wildlife Ecology & Health Group and Departament de Ciència AnimalEscola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria Agraria (ETSEA)Universitat de Lleida (UdL)LleidaSpain
| | | | - Jesús Cardells‐Peris
- SAIGAS (Servicio de Análisis, Investigación y Gestión de Animales Silvestres) and Wildlife Ecology & Health Group, Faculty of VeterinaryUniversidad Cardenal Herrera‐CEU, CEU UniversitiesValenciaSpain
| | - Antonio Molina
- Departamento de GenéticaUniversidad de CórdobaCórdobaSpain
| | - Armand Sànchez
- Department of Animal GeneticsCentre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG)CSIC‐IRTA‐UAB‐UBCampus de la Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
- Departament de Ciència Animal i dels AlimentsUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - Alex Clop
- Department of Animal GeneticsCentre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG)CSIC‐IRTA‐UAB‐UBCampus de la Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
| | - Marcel Amills
- Department of Animal GeneticsCentre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG)CSIC‐IRTA‐UAB‐UBCampus de la Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
- Departament de Ciència Animal i dels AlimentsUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellaterraSpain
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Forcina G, Woutersen K, Sánchez-Ramírez S, Angelone S, Crampe JP, Pérez JM, Fandos P, Granados JE, Jowers MJ. Demography reveals populational expansion of a recently extinct Iberian ungulate. ZOOSYST EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.3897/zse.97.61854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Reconstructing the demographic history of endangered taxa is paramount to predict future fluctuations and disentangle the contributing factors. Extinct taxa or populations might also provide key insights in this respect by means of the DNA extracted from museum specimens. Nevertheless, the degraded status of biological material and the limited number of records may pose some constraints. For this reason, identifying all available sources, including private and public biological collections, is a crucial step forward. In this study, we reconstructed the demographic history based on cytochrome-b sequence data of the Pyrenean ibex (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica), a charismatic taxon of the European wildlife that became extinct in the year 2000. Moreover, we built a database of the museum specimens available in public biological collections worldwide and genotyped a privately owned 140-year-old trophy from the Spanish Pyrenees to confirm its origin. We found that the population of the Pyrenean ibex underwent a recent expansion approximately 20,000 years ago, after which trophy hunting and epizootics triggered a relentless population decline. Our interpretations, based on the genetic information currently available in public repositories, provide a solid basis for more exhaustive analyses relying on all the new sources identified. In particular, the adoption of a genome-wide approach appears a fundamental prerequisite to disentangle the multiple contributing factors associated with low genetic diversity, including inbreeding depression, acting as extinction drivers.
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Angelone S, Jowers MJ, Molinar Min AR, Fandos P, Prieto P, Pasquetti M, Cano-Manuel FJ, Mentaberre G, Olvera JRL, Ráez-Bravo A, Espinosa J, Pérez JM, Soriguer RC, Rossi L, Granados JE. Hidden MHC genetic diversity in the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica). BMC Genet 2018; 19:28. [PMID: 29739323 PMCID: PMC5941765 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-018-0616-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Defining hidden genetic diversity within species is of great significance when attempting to maintain the evolutionary potential of natural populations and conduct appropriate management. Our hypothesis is that isolated (and eventually small) wild animal populations hide unexpected genetic diversity due to their maintenance of ancient polymorphisms or introgressions. Results We tested this hypothesis using the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) as an example. Previous studies based on large sample sizes taken from its principal populations have revealed that the Iberian ibex has a remarkably small MHC DRB1 diversity (only six remnant alleles) as a result of recent population bottlenecks and a marked demographic decline that has led to the extinction of two recognized subspecies. Extending on the geographic range to include non-studied isolated Iberian ibex populations, we sequenced a new MHC DRB1 in what seemed three small isolated populations in Southern Spain (n = 132). The findings indicate a higher genetic diversity than previously reported in this important gene. The newly discovered allele, MHC DRB1*7, is identical to one reported in the domestic goat C. aegagrus hircus. Whether or not this is the result of ancient polymorphisms maintained by balancing selection or, alternatively, introgressions from domestic goats through hybridization needs to be clarified in future studies. However, hybridization between Iberian ibex and domestic goats has been reported in Spain and the fact that the newly discovered allele is only present in one of the small isolated populations and not in the others suggests introgression. The new discovered allele is not expected to increase fitness in C. pyrenaica since it generates the same protein as the existing MHC DRB1*6. Analysis of a microsatellite locus (OLADRB1) near the new MHC DRB1*7 gene reveals a linkage disequilibrium between these two loci. The allele OLADRB1, 187 bp in length, was unambiguously linked to the MHC DRB1*7 allele. This enabled us to perform a DRB-STR matching method for the recently discovered MHC allele. Conclusions This finding is critical for the conservation of the Iberian ibex since it directly affects the identification of the units of this species that should be managed and conserved separately (Evolutionarily Significant Units). Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12863-018-0616-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samer Angelone
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Sevilla, Spain. .,Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies (IEU), University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Michael J Jowers
- CIBIO/ InBIO (Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos), Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrario De Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Anna Rita Molinar Min
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Universita` degli Studi di Torino, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - Paulino Fandos
- Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua, E-41092, Sevilla, Isla de la Cartuja, Spain
| | - Paloma Prieto
- Parque Natural Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas, Martínez Falero11, E-23470, Cazorla, Jaén, Spain
| | - Mario Pasquetti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Universita` degli Studi di Torino, Grugliasco, Italy
| | | | - Gregorio Mentaberre
- Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFAS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jorge Ramón López Olvera
- Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFAS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Arián Ráez-Bravo
- Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFAS), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Espinosa
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, s.n., E-23071, Jaén, Spain
| | - Jesús M Pérez
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Biología Vegetal y Ecología, Universidad de Jaén, Campus Las Lagunillas, s.n., E-23071, Jaén, Spain
| | - Ramón C Soriguer
- Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Luca Rossi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie, Universita` degli Studi di Torino, Grugliasco, Italy
| | - José Enrique Granados
- Espacio Natural Sierra Nevada, Carretera Antigua de Sierra Nevada, Km 7, E-18071, Pinos Genil, Granada, Spain
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