Genetic tracking of the brown bear in northern Pakistan and implications for conservation
Genetic tracking of the brown bear in northern Pakistan and implications for conservation
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DOI：
10.1016/j.biocon.2006.09.004
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发表时间：
2007-02-01
影响因子：
5.9
通讯作者：
Taberlet, Pierre
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bellemain, Eva;Nawaz, Muhammad Ali;Taberlet, Pierre
由于人类活动的影响，以及对亚洲熊的现状、分布和生存需求的严重缺乏了解，亚洲熊面临着重大威胁。喜马拉雅棕熊(Ursus Arctos Isabellinus)曾经在巴基斯坦北部大量分布，但在以前的大部分分布范围内都被灭绝了。目前，它在小种群中稀少发生，Deosai国家公园支持着最大的分离物。这种下降可能意味着遗传多样性的减少，从而危及种群的生存。利用粪便DNA分析和野外数据相结合的方法，我们的研究旨在评估德赛种群的规模和遗传状况，并为其保护和管理提供指导。利用粪便遗传分析，我们估计熊的数量为40-50只，与野外普查的38只熊相比，这一数字很好。在过去的一千年里，巴基斯坦北部棕熊的数量可能经历了大约200-300倍的减少，可能是由于冰川作用和不断增长的人类数量的影响。然而，尽管存在瓶颈遗传特征，Deosai种群具有中等水平的遗传多样性，并不处于近亲繁殖衰退的直接风险中。相邻种群之间可能存在基因流动。我们建议今后通过现场观察和遗传分析对这一群体进行仔细监测，包括对邻近群体进行采样，以评估传入的基因流。与巴基斯坦和印度邻近种群的连通性将对Deosai熊的长期生存至关重要。(C)2006爱思唯尔有限公司。保留所有权利。
Asian bears face major threats due to the impact of human activities as well as a critical lack of knowledge about their status, distribution and needs for survival. Once abundant in northern Pakistan, the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) has been exterminated in most of its former distribution range. It presently occurs sparsely, in small populations, the Deosai National Park supporting the largest isolate. This decline might imply a reduction in genetic diversity, compromising the survival of the population. Using a combination of fecal DNA analysis and field data, our study aimed at assessing the size and genetic status of the Deosai population and give guidelines for its conservation and management. Using fecal genetic analysis, we estimated the population to be 40-50 bears, which compares well with the field census of 38 bears. The northern Pakistani brown bear population may have undergone an approximate 200-300-fold decrease during the last thousand years, probably due to glaciations and the influence of growing human population. However, in spite of the presence of a bottleneck genetic signature, the Deosai population has a moderate level of genetic diversity and is not at immediate risk of inbreeding depression. Gene flow might exist with adjacent populations. We recommend careful monitoring of this population in the future both with field observations and genetic analyses, including sampling of adjacent populations to assess incoming gene flow. The connectivity with adjacent populations in Pakistan and India will be of prime importance for the longterm survival of Deosai bears. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.