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Hybridization following population collapse in a critically endangered antelope

Population declines may promote interspecific hybridization due to the shortage of conspecific mates (Hubb’s ‘desperation’ hypothesis), thus greatly increasing the risk of species extinction. Yet, confirming this process in the wild has proved elusive. Here we combine camera-trapping and molecular s...

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Autores principales: Vaz Pinto, Pedro, Beja, Pedro, Ferrand, Nuno, Godinho, Raquel
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Nature Publishing Group 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4702127/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26732144
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep18788
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author Vaz Pinto, Pedro
Beja, Pedro
Ferrand, Nuno
Godinho, Raquel
author_facet Vaz Pinto, Pedro
Beja, Pedro
Ferrand, Nuno
Godinho, Raquel
author_sort Vaz Pinto, Pedro
collection PubMed
description Population declines may promote interspecific hybridization due to the shortage of conspecific mates (Hubb’s ‘desperation’ hypothesis), thus greatly increasing the risk of species extinction. Yet, confirming this process in the wild has proved elusive. Here we combine camera-trapping and molecular surveys over seven years to document demographic processes associated with introgressive hybridization between the critically endangered giant sable antelope (Hippotragus niger variani), and the naturally sympatric roan antelope (H. equinus). Hybrids with intermediate phenotypes, including backcrosses with roan, were confirmed in one of the two remnant giant sable populations. Hybridization followed population depletion of both species due to severe wartime poaching. In the absence of mature sable males, a mixed herd of sable females and hybrids formed and grew progressively over time. To prevent further hybridization and recover this small population, all sable females were confined to a large enclosure, to which sables from the other remnant population were translocated. Given the large scale declines in many animal populations, hybridization and introgression associated with the scarcity of conspecific mates may be an increasing cause of biodiversity conservation concern. In these circumstances, the early detection of hybrids should be a priority in the conservation management of small populations.
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spelling pubmed-47021272016-01-14 Hybridization following population collapse in a critically endangered antelope Vaz Pinto, Pedro Beja, Pedro Ferrand, Nuno Godinho, Raquel Sci Rep Article Population declines may promote interspecific hybridization due to the shortage of conspecific mates (Hubb’s ‘desperation’ hypothesis), thus greatly increasing the risk of species extinction. Yet, confirming this process in the wild has proved elusive. Here we combine camera-trapping and molecular surveys over seven years to document demographic processes associated with introgressive hybridization between the critically endangered giant sable antelope (Hippotragus niger variani), and the naturally sympatric roan antelope (H. equinus). Hybrids with intermediate phenotypes, including backcrosses with roan, were confirmed in one of the two remnant giant sable populations. Hybridization followed population depletion of both species due to severe wartime poaching. In the absence of mature sable males, a mixed herd of sable females and hybrids formed and grew progressively over time. To prevent further hybridization and recover this small population, all sable females were confined to a large enclosure, to which sables from the other remnant population were translocated. Given the large scale declines in many animal populations, hybridization and introgression associated with the scarcity of conspecific mates may be an increasing cause of biodiversity conservation concern. In these circumstances, the early detection of hybrids should be a priority in the conservation management of small populations. Nature Publishing Group 2016-01-06 /pmc/articles/PMC4702127/ /pubmed/26732144 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep18788 Text en Copyright © 2016, Macmillan Publishers Limited http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
spellingShingle Article
Vaz Pinto, Pedro
Beja, Pedro
Ferrand, Nuno
Godinho, Raquel
Hybridization following population collapse in a critically endangered antelope
title Hybridization following population collapse in a critically endangered antelope
title_full Hybridization following population collapse in a critically endangered antelope
title_fullStr Hybridization following population collapse in a critically endangered antelope
title_full_unstemmed Hybridization following population collapse in a critically endangered antelope
title_short Hybridization following population collapse in a critically endangered antelope
title_sort hybridization following population collapse in a critically endangered antelope
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4702127/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26732144
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/srep18788
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