title: Genetic insight into Mediterranean chukar (Alectoris chukar, Galliformes) populations inferred from mitochondrial DNA and RAPD markers.
abstract: The chukar (Alectoris chukar, Galliformes) is one of the most important game birds as it is widely distributed and hunted over the whole of its range. The aim of this work was to assess the genetic differentiation as well as the possible presence of hybrid specimens in A. chukar populations from Italy, Greece and Cyprus. To provide phylogenetic context, conspecific, allopatric specimens from Israel, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mongolia, China and USA were compared. Sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Control Region supplied information on the ancestry of A. chukar populations, whereas Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting was used to assess whether hybridization had occurred. The Italian population was found to be an inter-specific mixture of A. chukar and A. rufa (i.e., the red-legged partridge) mtDNA lineages, whereas the representatives from Greece and Cyprus showed only the A. chukar maternal line. RAPD markers revealed introgression with A. rufa genes in the Italian population, whereas no A. chukar x A. rufa hybrid specimens were detected in the eastern Mediterranean populations. The genetic data obtained from the Italian A. chukar population as well as from a few Greek specimens pointed against their Mediterranean kinship, suggesting relationships with A. chukar subspecies from the easternmost part of the Asian continent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Protistology-Zoology Unit, University of Pisa, Via A. Volta 6, 56126 Pisa, Italy. fbarbanera@biologia.unipi.it
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barbanera
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guerrini
authors.forename: Pantelis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hadjigerou
authors.forename: Panicos
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Panayides
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sokos
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wilkinson
authors.forename: Aleem A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Bakht Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cappelli
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D002678:Chimera; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D005060:Europe; D046094:Galliformes / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D010802:Phylogeny; D011157:Population Dynamics; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D005819:Genetic Markers