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Genetic assessment of a conservation breeding program of the houbara bustard ( Chlamydotis undulata undulata ) in Morocco, based on pedigree and molecular analyses
Author(s) -
Rabier Robin,
Robert Alexandre,
Lacroix Frédéric,
Lesobre Loïc
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.21569
Subject(s) - bustard , biology , captive breeding , inbreeding , genetic diversity , captivity , conservation genetics , evolutionary biology , genetic variation , zoology , microsatellite , genetics , ecology , allele , endangered species , population , demography , sociology , habitat , gene
Abstract Protection and restoration of species in the wild may require conservation breeding programs under genetic management to minimize deleterious effects of genetic changes that occur in captivity, while preserving populations' genetic diversity and evolutionary resilience. Here, through interannual pedigree analyses, we first assessed the efficiency of a 21‐year genetic management, including minimization of mean kinship, inbreeding avoidance, and regular addition of founders, of a conservation breeding program targeting on Houbara bustard ( Chlamydotis undulata undulata ) in Morocco. Secondly, we compared pedigree analyses, the classical way of assessing and managing genetic diversity in captivity, to molecular analyses based on seven microsatellites. Pedigree‐based results indicated an efficient maintenance of the genetic diversity (99% of the initial genetic diversity retained) while molecular‐based results indicated an increase in allelic richness and an increase in unbiased expected heterozygosity across time. The pedigree‐based average inbreeding coefficient F remained low (between 0.0004 and 0.003 in 2017) while the proportion of highly inbred individuals ( F > .1) decreased over time and reached 0.2% in 2017. Furthermore, pedigree‐based F and molecular‐based individual multilocus heterozygosity were weakly negatively correlated, (Pearson's r = −.061 when considering all genotyped individuals), suggesting that they cannot be considered as alternatives, but rather as complementary sources of information. These findings suggest that a strict genetic monitoring and management, based on both pedigree and molecular tools can help mitigate genetic changes and allow to preserve genetic diversity and evolutionary resilience in conservation breeding programs.