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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Phylogeography, genetic structure and population divergence time of cheetahs in Africa and Asia: Evidence for long-term geographic isolates
Molecular Ecology, Volume 20, No. 4, Year 2011
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Description
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has been described as a species with low levels of genetic variation. This has been suggested to be the consequence of a demographic bottleneck 10 000-12 000 years ago (ya) and also led to the assumption that only small genetic differences exist between the described subspecies. However, analysing mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites in cheetah samples from most of the historic range of the species we found relatively deep phylogeographic breaks between some of the investigated populations, and most of the methods assessed divergence time estimates predating the postulated bottleneck. Mitochondrial DNA monophyly and overall levels of genetic differentiation support the distinctiveness of Northern-East African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii). Moreover, combining archaeozoological and contemporary samples, we show that Asiatic cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) are unambiguously separated from African subspecies. Divergence time estimates from mitochondrial and nuclear data place the split between Asiatic and Southern African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) at 32 000-67 000 ya using an average mammalian microsatellite mutation rate and at 4700-44 000 ya employing human microsatellite mutation rates. Cheetahs are vulnerable to extinction globally and critically endangered in their Asiatic range, where the last 70-110 individuals survive only in Iran. We demonstrate that these extant Iranian cheetahs are an autochthonous monophyletic population and the last representatives of the Asiatic subspecies A. j. venaticus. We advocate that conservation strategies should consider the uncovered independent evolutionary histories of Asiatic and African cheetahs, as well as among some African subspecies. This would facilitate the dual conservation priorities of maintaining locally adapted ecotypes and genetic diversity. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Available Materials
https://efashare.b-cdn.net/share/pmc/articles/PMC3531615/bin/mec0020-0706-SD1.doc
Authors & Co-Authors
Charruau, Pauline C.
Austria, Vienna
Veterinarmedizinische Universitat Wien
Fernandes, Carlos A.R.
Portugal, Lisbon
Universidade de Lisboa
Orozco Ter Wengel, P. A.
Austria, Vienna
Veterinarmedizinische Universitat Wien
Peters, Joris
Germany, Munich
Ludwig-maximilians-universität München
Hunter, Luke T.B.
United States, New York
Panthera Usa
Ziaie, H.
Iran, Tehran
Faculty of Natural Environment and Biodiversity
Jourabchian, A.
Iran, Tehran
Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project
Jowkar, Houman
United States, New York
Panthera Usa
Schaller, G.
United States, New York
Panthera Usa
Ostrowski, Stéphane
United States, New York
Wildlife Conservation Society
Vercammen, Paul
United Arab Emirates, Sharjah
Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife
Grange, Thierry
France, Paris
Institut Jacques Monod
Schlötterer, Christian
Austria, Vienna
Veterinarmedizinische Universitat Wien
Kotzé, Antoinette
South Africa, Bloemfontein
University of the Free State
South Africa, Pretoria
National Zoological Gardens of South Africa
Geigl, Eva Maria
France, Paris
Institut Jacques Monod
Walzer, Christian
Austria, Vienna
Veterinarmedizinische Universitat Wien
Burger, Pamela Anna
Austria, Vienna
Veterinarmedizinische Universitat Wien
Statistics
Citations: 91
Authors: 17
Affiliations: 11
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1111/j.1365-294X.2010.04986.x
ISSN:
09621083
e-ISSN:
1365294X
Research Areas
Cancer
Genetics And Genomics
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study