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A review on the conservation genetic studies of Indian amphibians and their implications on developing strategies for conservation†

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Abstract

Amphibians show a very high level of diversity and endemism and are facing global declines from the past few decades. Studies have shown that the molecular tools can be helpful in their conservation efforts. In India, more than 80% of amphibians are endemic and most show a narrow range of distribution. Most of the Indian amphibians lack information on their genetic diversity. In this study, we review the overall trend on amphibian studies in India with the specific focus on conservation genetics. Overall, of the 173 studies, only 14 dealt with the conservation of amphibians through genetic tools and five studies estimated the genetic diversity or gene structure. Here, we discuss the gaps and provide future directions on how genetic studies can be helpful in Indian amphibian conservation.

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Acknowledgements

NAA and GR acknowledge the support received from Department of Biotechnology, Government of India (Grant No.: BT/PR9900/BCE/8/1068/2013). PH received support from Department of Science and Technology, Government of India INSPIRE faculty fellowship(DST/INSPIRE/04/2017/003152).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Suri Sehgal Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru, 560 064, India

    Priti Hebbar, G. Ravikanth & N. A. Aravind

  2. Evolutionary Venomics Lab, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560 012, India

    Priti Hebbar

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  1. Priti Hebbar
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  2. G. Ravikanth
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  3. N. A. Aravind
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Correspondence to Priti Hebbar or N. A. Aravind.

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Corresponding editor: H. A. Ranganath

†This is one of the articles of collections on ‘Conservation Genetics’.

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Hebbar, P., Ravikanth, G. & Aravind, N.A. A review on the conservation genetic studies of Indian amphibians and their implications on developing strategies for conservation†. J Genet 98, 114 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12041-019-1159-1

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