Department of Biology, Via A. Volta 4, University of Pisa, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
Game and Fauna Service, Ministry of Interior, 1453, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Zoology (Jena). 2021 Oct;148:125959. doi: 10.1016/j.zool.2021.125959. Epub 2021 Jul 24.
The mouflon (Ovis gmelini ophion) is the largest wild terrestrial mammal of Cyprus. Regarded as the local flagship species, its population range is limited to the mountainous Paphos Forest and adjacent areas including part of Troodos National Forest Park (> 700 Km). This species, protected by both national and international legislation, is classified as Endangered by the IUCN, with livestock intrusion, poaching and habitat loss as the main threatening factors. We determined the spatial genetic structure by investigating sexes separately and shed further light on the Cyprus mouflon placement among Ovis haplogroups (HGs) to enforce its protection within an adaptive conservation framework. We genotyped 108 samples collected across the entire species' range at both14 loci of the microsatellite DNA and the mitochondrial DNA Control Region (CR). Microsatellite genotyping indicated that the wild population retained low genetic variability, which, however, was not associated with a level of inbreeding raising particular concern (F = 0.12). An overall weak spatial genetic structure was disclosed, consistently with the limited extension of the mouflon range, the lack of significant physical barriers to dispersal and the intense gene flow mostly occurring along a northeast-southwest axis across the forest. Nevertheless, evidences of structure were found for females in compliance with their philopatric behaviour. The disclosure of unique features compared to Mediterranean and Near East conspecifics, such as the occurrence of a six-fold 76 bp-long repeated motif in the Cyprus mouflon CR, along with the outcome of a phylogenetic reconstruction (based on a far higher number of Ovis GenBank records and Cyprus haplotypes than in previous studies) inspired the proposal of a new haplogroup (HGC2) which included the Anatolian mouflon (O. g. anatolica, former HGX) as sister taxon. While both high habitat heterogeneity and low human disturbance were the main drivers in determining the overall spatial structure, future conservation efforts to preserve this valuable genetic resource should focus on avoiding possible introgressive hybridisation with co-grazing livestock to the edge of its range.
摩弗伦羊（Ovis gmelini ophion）是塞浦路斯最大的陆生野生动物。作为当地的旗舰物种，其种群分布范围仅限于山区的帕福斯森林和包括特罗多斯国家森林公园部分地区在内的相邻地区（>700 公里）。这种受国家和国际立法保护的物种被 IUCN 列为濒危物种，其主要威胁因素包括牲畜入侵、偷猎和栖息地丧失。我们通过分别调查雌雄来确定空间遗传结构，并进一步探讨塞浦路斯摩弗伦羊在 Ovis 单倍型群（HG）中的位置，以在适应性保护框架内加强对其的保护。我们在整个物种分布范围内采集了 108 个样本，在微卫星 DNA 的 14 个位点和线粒体 DNA 控制区（CR）对其进行了基因分型。微卫星基因分型表明，野生种群保持了较低的遗传多样性，但这与引起特别关注的近亲繁殖水平无关（F = 0.12）。总体上，揭示了较弱的空间遗传结构，这与摩弗伦羊分布范围的有限延伸、扩散缺乏明显的物理障碍以及主要沿着东北-西南轴穿过森林的强烈基因流一致。然而，对于雌性，发现了与它们的恋地行为一致的结构证据。与地中海和近东同种动物相比，塞浦路斯摩弗伦羊 CR 中出现了一个六倍的 76 个碱基长的重复序列，以及基于 FAR 更高数量的 Ovis GenBank 记录和塞浦路斯单倍型的系统发育重建的结果（比以前的研究）激发了一个新的单倍群（HGC2）的提议，该单倍群包括安纳托利亚摩弗伦羊（O. g. anatolica，前 HGX）作为姐妹分类群。虽然高栖息地异质性和低人为干扰是决定整体空间结构的主要驱动因素，但未来保护这一宝贵遗传资源的努力应侧重于避免其分布范围边缘可能与共同放牧牲畜的基因渗入杂交。
