Genetic structure and patterns of gene flow among populations of the endangered Ethiopian wolf
Genetic structure and patterns of gene flow among populations of the endangered Ethiopian wolf
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1469-1795.2012.00591.x
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发表时间：
2013-04-01
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Wang, J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gottelli, D.;Sillero-Zubiri, C.;Wang, J.
濒危哺乳动物的种群通常很小，分散，遗传变异性低，这可能会降低应对环境变化的进化能力。濒危的埃塞俄比亚狼（Canis simensis）是一种栖息地专家，仅限于非洲阿尔卑斯山栖息地的六个小而孤立的口袋，总人口不到500只成年动物。埃塞俄比亚高地因人类扩张而日益退化，可能导致人口进一步分散和地方性排斥。为了协助埃塞俄比亚狼保护管理，我们量化的遗传多样性，种群结构和模式的基因流的物种使用多达14个微卫星位点。FST，分子方差分析，主坐标分析和贝叶斯聚类分析揭示了地理种群结构划分的三个山脉，与以前的研究基于线粒体DNA。贝叶斯分析表明，目前的基因流是低，单向的，并限于地理上接近的人群。鉴于小的人口普查规模和强大的人口结构与低基因流，人口统计随机性可能是最大的威胁，这一物种的长期生存。因此，必须保护剩余的适宜生境，特别是连接山地内生境斑块的狭窄山脊。这项研究所提出的遗传调查为埃塞俄比亚狼种群的未来有效管理提供了重要和急需的信息。
Populations of endangered mammals are often small, fragmented and have low genetic variability that can reduce the ability to evolve in response to environmental changes. The endangered Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) is a habitat specialist restricted to six small, isolated pockets of Afroalpine habitat, with a total population of fewer than 500 adult animals. The degradation of the Ethiopian highlands because of human expansion is ever increasing, potentially leading to further population fragmentation and local extinctions. In order to assist Ethiopian wolf conservation management, we quantified the genetic diversity, population structure and patterns of gene flow of the species using up to 14 microsatellite loci. FST, analysis of molecular variance, principal coordinates analysis and Bayesian clustering analyses revealed geographic population structuring delimited by three mountain ranges, in concert with a previous study based on mitochondrial DNA. Bayesian analysis showed that current gene flow is low, unidirectional and limited to geographically proximate populations. Given the small census size and strong population structuring with low gene flow, demographic stochasticity is likely to be the highest threat to the long-term persistence of this species. The protection of the remaining suitable habitat, especially narrow ridges linking habitat patches within mountain blocks, is therefore essential. The genetic survey presented by this study provides vital and much needed information for the future effective management of Ethiopian wolf populations.