Omote Keita, Nishida Chizuko, Takenaka Takeshi, Masuda Ryuichi
Department of Natural History Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.
Zoolog Sci. 2012 May;29(5):299-304. doi: 10.2108/zsj.29.299.
The Blakiston's fish owl (Bubo blakistoni) population on Hokkaido Island, Japan, decreased to less than one hundred individuals over the last century due to habitat disruption by human activity. Although the ongoing conservation management has slightly restored the population, it remains endangered. In order to assess the genetic variation and population structure of the Blakiston's fish owl in Hokkaido, we genotyped eight microsatellite loci on 120 individuals sampled over the past three decades. The genotype data set showed low levels of genetic variation and gene flow among the geographically isolated five subpopulations. Comparative analysis of past and current populations indicated that some alleles shared by past individuals had been lost, and that genetic variation had declined over the last three decades. The result suggests that the genetic decline may have resulted from inbreeding and/or genetic drift due to bottlenecks in the Hokkaido population. The present study provides invaluable genetic information for the conservation and management of the endangered Blakiston's fish owl in Hokkaido.
由于人类活动导致栖息地遭到破坏，日本北海道岛的乌林鸮（Bubo blakistoni）种群数量在上个世纪减少到不足100只。尽管目前正在进行的保护管理措施已使该种群数量略有恢复，但它仍然濒危。为了评估北海道乌林鸮的遗传变异和种群结构，我们对过去三十年中采集的120只个体的八个微卫星位点进行了基因分型。基因型数据集显示，在地理上隔离的五个亚种群中，遗传变异和基因流动水平较低。对过去和当前种群的比较分析表明，过去个体共有的一些等位基因已经丢失，并且在过去三十年中遗传变异有所下降。结果表明，遗传衰退可能是由于北海道种群瓶颈导致的近亲繁殖和/或遗传漂变所致。本研究为北海道濒危乌林鸮的保护和管理提供了宝贵的遗传信息。
