Premium
Patterns of molecular genetic variation among African elephant populations
Author(s) -
Comstock Kenine E.,
Georgiadis Nicholas,
PeconSlattery Jill,
Roca Alfred L.,
Ostrander Elaine A.,
O'Brien Stephen J.,
Wasser Samuel K.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2002.01615.x
Subject(s) - biology , genetic diversity , african elephant , threatened species , gene flow , microsatellite , ecology , genetic variation , population , isolation by distance , effective population size , genetic structure , phylogeography , zoology , evolutionary biology , phylogenetics , habitat , genetics , demography , gene , allele , sociology
The highly threatened African elephants have recently been subdivided into two species, Loxodonta africana (savannah or bush elephant) and L. cyclotis (forest elephant) based on morphological and molecular studies. A molecular genetic assessment of 16 microsatellite loci across 20 populations (189 individuals) affirms species level genetic differentiation and provides robust genotypic assessment of species affiliation. Savannah elephant popula‐tions show modest levels of phylogeographic subdivision based on composite microsatellite genotype, an indication of recent population isolation and restricted gene flow between locales. The savannah elephants show significantly lower genetic diversity than forest elephants, probably reflecting a founder effect in the recent history of the savannah species.