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Influence of habitat fragmentation on the genetic structure of large mammals: evidence for increased structuring of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) within the Serengeti ecosystem

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Abstract

Wildlife species exposed to habitat fragmentation are often in need of a conservation effort. The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is one of the key species in the Serengeti ecosystem as they form a large part of the herbivore biomass, providing ecotourism and valuable trophies. The ecosystem is a part of Tanzanias protected areas and is administrated under different management practices. Among these, we have analysed the genetic structure of buffalo (n = 68) from the Serengeti National Park (SNP), the Ngorongoro conservation area (NCA) and the Maswa game reserve (MGR). Both the sequence variation in a 493 base pair fragment of the mitochondrial D-loop and the allele frequency-distribution in 15 microsatellites suggest genetic structuring of the buffalo populations within the ecosystem. Both the allele frequency-distribution and the amount of genetic variation were high and similar in SNP and MGR, suggesting a high degree of gene flow between these locations. By comparison, the NCA buffaloes had significantly lower genetic variation and were genetically differentiated from SNP and MGR. Approximate Bayesian computation estimates suggest that the observed genetic structure is of a recent origin, indicating that the recent increases in developmental activity in the region may have influenced the genetic structure of the buffalo within the Serengeti ecosystem.

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Acknowledgments

The SNP, MGR and NCA Managements Authorities are acknowledged for allowing sampling of buffaloes. COSTECH and TAWIRI are acknowledged for offering research permit. Thanks to the Norwegian Programme for Development, Research and Education (NUFU) for funding. Members of the Antelope conservation project are acknowledged for revising the manuscript. Liv Midthjell, Ellen Gunby and Margrethe Jacobsen are acknowledged for their assistance during laboratory work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, P.O. Box 661, Arusha, Tanzania

    E. M. Ernest & R. D. Fyumagwa

  2. Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Biology, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, P.O. Box 8146, 0033, Oslo, Norway

    E. M. Ernest, S. Bitanyi & K. H. Røed

  3. Centre for Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    H. Haanes

  4. Ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries, Veterinary Investigation Centre, P.O. Box 9254, Temeke, Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania

    S. Bitanyi

  5. Sokoine University of Agriculture, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 3021, Morogoro, Tanzania

    P. L. Msoffe

  6. Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1008, 0315, Blindern, Oslo, Norway

    G. Bjørnstad

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  1. E. M. Ernest
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Ernest, E.M., Haanes, H., Bitanyi, S. et al. Influence of habitat fragmentation on the genetic structure of large mammals: evidence for increased structuring of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) within the Serengeti ecosystem. Conserv Genet 13, 381–391 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-011-0291-0

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