Genetic Analysis and Status of Brown Bear Sub-Populations in Three National Parks of Greece Functioning as Strongholds for the Species’ Conservation

Genetic Analysis and Status of Brown Bear Sub-Populations in Three National Parks of Greece Functioning as Strongholds for the Species’ Conservation

In order to optimize the appropriate conservation actions for the brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) population in Greece, we estimated the census (Nc) and effective (Ne) population size as well as the genetic status of brown bear sub-populations in three National Parks (NP): Prespa (MBPNP), Pindos (PINDN...

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Published in:Genes Vol. 13; no. 8; p. 1388
Main Authors: Tsalazidou-Founta, Tzoulia-Maria, Stasi, Evangelia A, Samara, Maria, Mertzanis, Yorgos, Papathanassiou, Maria, Bagos, Pantelis G, Psaroudas, Spyros, Spyrou, Vasiliki, Lazarou, Yorgos, Tragos, Athanasios, Tsaknakis, Yannis, Grigoriadou, Elpida, Korakis, Athanasios, Satra, Maria, Billinis, Charalambos
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-08-2022
MDPI
Subjects:
Analysis
Animal populations
Bears
Brown bear
Capillary electrophoresis
Conservation
Gene flow
Genetic analysis
Genetic aspects
Genetic structure
Inbreeding
Methods
National parks
Parks & recreation areas
Population genetics
Thermal cycling
Ursus arctos
Wildlife conservation
Wood preservatives
Greece
Europe
Germany
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Summary:In order to optimize the appropriate conservation actions for the brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) population in Greece, we estimated the census (Nc) and effective (Ne) population size as well as the genetic status of brown bear sub-populations in three National Parks (NP): Prespa (MBPNP), Pindos (PINDNP), and Rhodopi (RMNP). The Prespa and Pindos sub-populations are located in western Greece and the Rhodopi population is located in eastern Greece. We extracted DNA from 472 hair samples and amplified through PCR 10 microsatellite loci. In total, 257 of 472 samples (54.5%) were genotyped for 6–10 microsatellite loci. Genetic analysis revealed that the Ne was 35, 118, and 61 individuals in MBPNP, PINDNP, and RMNP, respectively, while high levels of inbreeding were found in Prespa and Rhodopi but not in Pindos. Moreover, analysis of genetic structure showed that the Pindos population is genetically distinct, whereas Prespa and Rhodopi show mutual overlaps. Finally, we found a notable gene flow from Prespa to Rhodopi (10.19%) and from Rhodopi to Prespa (14.96%). Therefore, targeted actions for the conservation of the bears that live in the abovementioned areas must be undertaken, in order to ensure the species’ viability and to preserve the corridors that allow connectivity between the bear sub-populations in Greece.
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These authors contributed equally to this work.
Collaborators of the ARCPROM project team are provided in the Acknowledgement Section.
ISSN:2073-4425
2073-4425
DOI:10.3390/genes13081388