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Enhancing knowledge of an endangered and elusive species, the okapi, using non‐invasive genetic techniques
Author(s) -
Stanton D. W. G.,
Hart J.,
Kümpel N. F.,
Vosper A.,
Nixon S.,
Bruford M. W.,
Ewen J. G.,
Wang J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/jzo.12205
Subject(s) - biology , biological dispersal , endangered species , ecology , population , ungulate , evolutionary biology , iucn red list , zoology , demography , habitat , sociology
The okapi O kapia johnstoni is an endangered, even‐toed ungulate in the family G iraffidae, and is endemic to the D emocratic R epublic of C ongo ( DRC ). Okapi are highly elusive and very little is known about their behaviour and ecology in the wild. We used non‐invasive genetic methods to examine the social structure, mating system and dispersal for a population of okapi in the R éserve de F aune à O kapis, DRC . Okapi individuals were found to be solitary, but genetically polygamous or promiscuous. There was no evidence for any close spatial association between large groups of related or unrelated okapi for either sex, but we did find evidence for male‐biased dispersal. An isolation by distance pattern of genetic similarity was present, but appears to be operating just below the spatial scale of the area investigated in the present study. We describe how the analyses used here can infer aspects of behavioural ecology and discuss the strengths and limitations of these analyses. We therefore provide a guide for future studies using non‐invasive genetics to investigate behavioural ecology of rare, elusive animals. This study furthers scientific knowledge about a species that has recently been recognized by the IUCN as endangered, and is a potentially important flagship species for C entral A frica.