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Genetic variability and population structure in Cypriot chukar partridges (Alectorischukar cypriotes) as determined by microsatellite analysis

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Abstract

For the first time, microsatellite loci were used to study the genetic structure in Alectoris chukar cypriotes. Four of the ten tested microsatellite loci were found to be polymorphic in 33 individuals from four regions of Cyprus. The differentiation test between all the pairs of samples gave non-differentiation exact P values in every case (P>0.05). The posterior probability distribution on the number of source populations indicated only one population (P=0.977); also, a high Bayes factor value (130.020) was obtained. Posterior co-assignment probabilities (measures of similarity) for all pairs of individuals ranged from 0.984 to 1. The global FIS value was not found to be significant. A recent bottleneck of the Cypriot total partridge population is suggested and this is supported by a significant Wilcoxon test (P=0.031) under the Infinite Alleles Model (IAM) and shifted mode in the alleles frequencies distribution. The results suggest that all the individuals studied belong to only one randomly mating (panmictic) population, with low genetic variation and evidence of recent effective population size reduction (genetic bottleneck). A big hunting pressure exists on the island and about 200,000 captive-bred birds are released every year; these individuals are descendant from a small number of eggs collected in a small area of Cyprus in 1986 and this founder effect could explain the existence of a bottleneck and the low genetic variability.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded in part by INIA-CICYT (reference number RZ01-009). We would like to thank A. Dimitriades, M. Pahitanis, C. Tsioutis, and A. Chrisostomou for assistance in the collection of feathers for the analyses. We are also grateful to Dr D. Savva (University of Reading, UK) for help in polishing the English original. The authors declare that the experiments comply with the current laws of both Cyprus and Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics Veterinary Faculty, University of Zaragoza, C/Miguel Servet 177, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain

    M. T. Tejedor, L. V. Monteagudo & M. V. Arruga

  2. Ministry of the Interior, Nicosia, 1453, Cyprus

    E. Hadjisterkotis

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  1. M. T. Tejedor
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  2. L. V. Monteagudo
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  3. E. Hadjisterkotis
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  4. M. V. Arruga
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Correspondence to M. V. Arruga.

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Tejedor, M.T., Monteagudo, L.V., Hadjisterkotis, E. et al. Genetic variability and population structure in Cypriot chukar partridges (Alectorischukar cypriotes) as determined by microsatellite analysis. Eur J Wildl Res 51, 232–236 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-005-0103-2

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