Abstract
In the last decades, the release of large numbers of farmed-reared birds became a widespread management practice for game species. The red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) is a quarry species with a high economic impact in rural areas of southwest Europe. In order to increase productivity and produce heavier birds, farmed red-legged partridges have often been hybridized with Chukar partridges (A. chukar), although these species have allopatric distribution ranges. During restocking, hybrid birds may be released into wild populations and may subsequently successfully breed, thus threatening the genetic integrity of native A. rufa populations. In this study, we compared several phenotypic indicators (body size, body condition and physiological state) between “pure” and hybrid partridges in order to evaluate the possible consequences of A. chukar genetic introgression into A. rufa. For this purpose, we captured 115 wild red-legged partridges during the breeding seasons 2003–2005 in four game estates of central Spain. We observed a greater occurrence of hybrid A. rufa × A. chukar partridges nearby the sites where the release of farmed-birds took place. We also found that hybrid males were smaller and hybrid females had better body condition and lower plasma carotenoid concentration than pure partridges of the same sex. Low carotenoid levels in blood plasma might be a limitation for female reproduction (fewer carotenoids available for ornamentation or to allocate to eggs). Overall, our results showed a greater occurrence of hybrids near restocking areas and phenotypic differences between hybrids and “pure” partridge in the wild. Genetic controls of farm-reared partridges should be a key step to prevent the releases of hybrids and ensure the maintenance of the genetic integrity of wild red-legged partridge populations.
Zusammenfassung
Phänotypische Unterschiede in Körpergröße, Körperkondition und Carotinoidspiegel zwischen freilebenden „reinen“ Rothühnern ( Alectoris rufa ) und solchen hybrider Abstammung
In den letzten Jahrzehnten hat sich die Freilassung großer Mengen von Vögeln aus Geflügelzuchten zu einer verbreiteten Managementpraxis für Jagdbestände entwickelt. Das Rothuhn (Alectoris rufa) ist als Federwildart in ländlichen Gegenden Südwesteuropas von hoher wirtschaftlicher Bedeutung. Um zur Produktivitätssteigerung schwerere Vögel zu züchten, wurden Rothühner von den Züchtern häufig mit Chukarhühnern (A. chukar) gekreuzt, obgleich diese beiden Arten allopatrisch verbreitet sind. Zur Bestandsaufstockung können diese Hybriden dann in Wildpopulationen freigesetzt werden und es kann daraufhin zu erfolgreichen Bruten kommen, welche die genetische Integrität der natürlichen A. rufa-Populationen gefährden. In dieser Studie vergleichen wir mehrere phänotypische Merkmale (Körpergröße, Körperkondition und physiologischer Status) von „reinen“ und hybriden Hühnern, um mögliche Folgen der genetischen Introgression zwischen A. chukar und A. rufa abzuschätzen. Dazu fingen wir während der Brutperioden 2003–2005 115 wilde Rothühner in vier Jagdgebieten in Zentralspanien. Wir beobachteten ein verstärktes Vorkommen von A. rufa x A. chukar-Hybriden im Umkreis von Orten, an denen Zuchtvögel freigelassen worden waren. Außerdem stellten sich hybride Männchen als kleiner heraus, weibliche Hybriden waren in besserer körperlicher Verfassung und hatten einen niedrigen Carotinoid-Plasmaspiegel als „reine“ Hühner gleichen Geschlechts. Ein niedriger Carotinoidspiegel im Blutplasma könnte einen limitierenden Faktor für die weibliche Reproduktion darstellen (da weniger Carotinoide für die Ausbildung der Farbmerkmale oder die Ausstattung der Eier zur Verfügung stehen). Insgesamt belegen unsere Ergebnisse ein vermehrtes Auftreten von Hybriden in der Nähe von Freilassungsstellen und phänotypische Unterschiede zwischen Hybriden und „reinen“ Hühnern im Freiland. Die genetische Kontrolle von Hühnern aus Zuchtbetrieben hätte somit eine Schlüsselrolle bei der Vermeidung der Hybridfreisetzung inne und könnte die Aufrechterhaltung der genetischen Integrität wilder Rothuhn-Populationen gewährleisten.
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Acknowledgments
We thank all game managers and hunting societies’ presidents for allowing studying partridges on their hunting estates. Particular thanks are due to all people have helped with the data collection. Fabián Casas was supported by a post-doctoral grant of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla la Mancha (JCCM), and a JAE-Doc contract of the program «Junta para la Ampliación de Estudios» financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). This work alsoreceived a grant by the research project “Bases científicas preliminares para un plan de conservación de la perdiz roja en Castilla-La Mancha” of the Consejería de Agricultura y Medio Ambiente de la JCCM (Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha), and CYCIT projects MCYT-REN200307851/GLO and CGL2004-02568/BOS. FM was supported by a Grant from the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, Spain (CGL 2006-11823) and from the JCCM, Spain (PAI06-0112).
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Casas, F., Mougeot, F., Ferrero, M.E. et al. Phenotypic differences in body size, body condition and circulating carotenoids between hybrid and “pure” red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa) in the wild. J Ornithol 154, 803–811 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0947-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-013-0947-2