Conservation genetics of the endangered Dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas spp.) in Northwestern Africa

Large mammals are seriously threatened in North Africa, with emblematic cases of extinction reported during the twentieth century. The Dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas) is an endangered species whose populations drastically declined in the last few decades. In this work we applied both invasive and non-invasive molecular methods to document for the first time patterns of genetic diversity and population structure of G. dorcas in its northwestern range, using 13 microsatellite loci and a 716 bp fragment of mitochondrial DNA in seven populations (one wild, four semi-captive and two captive). Genetic diversity at both mtDNA and nuclear markers showed a clear dichotomy among G. dorcas populations. While the wild population and the captive population maintained in Almeria (Spain) exhibited appreciable levels of diversity, all five captive and semi-captive populations across Morocco were fixed for a single mtDNA haplotype and showed low values of nuclear diversity. The allele frequency spectrum analysis of these five populations revealed profiles expected under a bottleneck scenario, but statistical tests performed to investigate this situation were not significant. Genetic differentiation measured by summary statistics (FST and Dest) and population structure revealed by Bayesian clustering analysis suggest that the Sidi Chiker Reserve, in the northern plains of Morocco, may harbour the last individuals belonging to G. d. massaesyla, while individuals from the El Kheng Reserve exhibited a moderate degree of differentiation and could not be unambiguously associated with one of the two remaining putative subspecies. These data should be taken into consideration in order to implement a conservation action plan for G. dorcas in Morocco. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.