Peters Catherine, Geary Matthew, Hosie Charlotte, Nelson Howard, Rusk Bonnie, Muir Anna
Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences University of Chester Chester UK.
University of Cambridge Cambridge UK.
Ecol Evol. 2023 Nov 23;13(11):e10767. doi: 10.1002/ece3.10767. eCollection 2023 Nov.
As an island endemic with a decreasing population, the critically endangered Grenada Dove is threatened by accelerated loss of genetic diversity resulting from ongoing habitat fragmentation. Small, threatened populations are difficult to sample directly but advances in molecular methods mean that non-invasive samples can be used. We performed the first assessment of genetic diversity of populations of Grenada Dove by (a) assessing mtDNA genetic diversity in the only two areas of occupancy on Grenada, (b) defining the number of haplotypes present at each site and (c) evaluating evidence of isolation between sites. We used non-invasively collected samples from two locations: Mt Hartman ( = 18) and Perseverance ( = 12). DNA extraction and PCR were used to amplify 1751 bps of mtDNA from two mitochondrial markers: NADH dehydrogenase 2 () and Cytochrome b (). Haplotype diversity () of 0.4, a nucleotide diversity () of 0.00023 and two unique haplotypes were identified within the sequences; a single haplotype was identified within the sequences. Of the two haplotypes identified, the most common haplotype (haplotype A = 73.9%) was observed at both sites and the other (haplotype B = 26.1%) was unique to Perseverance. Our results show low mitochondrial genetic diversity and clear evidence for genetically isolated populations. The Grenada Dove needs urgent conservation action, including habitat protection and potentially augmentation of gene flow by translocation in order to increase genetic resilience and diversity with the ultimate aim of securing the long-term survival of this critically endangered species.
作为一个人口不断减少的岛屿特有物种，极度濒危的格林纳达鸽受到因栖息地持续破碎化导致的遗传多样性加速丧失的威胁。小型受威胁种群难以直接采样，但分子方法的进步意味着可以使用非侵入性样本。我们通过以下方式对格林纳达鸽种群的遗传多样性进行了首次评估：(a)评估格林纳达仅有的两个栖息地的线粒体DNA遗传多样性；(b)确定每个地点存在的单倍型数量；(c)评估地点之间隔离的证据。我们使用了从两个地点非侵入性收集的样本：哈特曼山（n = 18）和毅力（n = 12）。DNA提取和聚合酶链反应用于从两个线粒体标记物：NADH脱氢酶2（ND2）和细胞色素b（Cytb）扩增1751个碱基对的线粒体DNA。在ND2序列中鉴定出单倍型多样性（Hd）为0.4，核苷酸多样性（π）为0.00023以及两个独特的单倍型；在Cytb序列中鉴定出一个单倍型。在鉴定出的两个单倍型中，最常见的单倍型（单倍型A = 73.9%）在两个地点均有观察到，另一个（单倍型B = 26.1%）是毅力地区特有的。我们的结果显示线粒体遗传多样性较低，并且有明确证据表明种群存在遗传隔离。格林纳达鸽需要紧急的保护行动，包括栖息地保护以及可能通过迁移来增加基因流动，以提高遗传恢复力和多样性，最终目标是确保这个极度濒危物种的长期生存。
