Population genetics of the main population of brown bears in southwest Asia

PeerJ

article

Hüseyin Ambarlı¹  Deniz Mengüllüoğlu²  Jörns Fickel²  Daniel W. Förster² 

[1] Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management;Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research;Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam

关键词: Ursus arctos;    Microsatellite;    Conservation;    Anatolia;    Isolation;    Source population;    Noninvasive sampling;    Rubbing tree;    Turkey;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.5660

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Genetic studies of the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos) have so far focused on populations from Europe and North America, although the largest distribution area of brown bears is in Asia. In this study, we reveal population genetic parameters for the brown bear population inhabiting the Grand Kaçkar Mountains (GKM) in the north east of Turkey, western Lesser Caucasus. Using both hair (N = 147) and tissue samples (N = 7) collected between 2008 and 2014, we found substantial levels of genetic variation (10 microsatellite loci). Bear samples (hair) taken from rubbing trees worked better for genotyping than those from power poles, regardless of the year collected. Genotyping also revealed that bears moved between habitat patches, despite ongoing massive habitat alterations and the creation of large water reservoirs. This population has the potential to serve as a genetic reserve for future reintroductions in the Middle East. Due to the importance of the GKM population for on-going and future conservation actions, the impacts of habitat alterations in the region ought to be minimized; e.g., by establishing green bridges or corridors over reservoirs and major roads to maintain habitat connectivity and gene flow among populations in the Lesser Caucasus.

【 授权许可】

CC BY