title: Historically low mitochondrial DNA diversity in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal marsupial that was historically widespread across eastern Australia until the end of the 19th century when it suffered a steep population decline. Hunting for the fur trade, habitat conversion, and disease contributed to a precipitous reduction in koala population size during the late 1800s and early 1900s. To examine the effects of these reductions in population size on koala genetic diversity, we sequenced part of the hypervariable region of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in koala museum specimens collected in the 19th and 20th centuries, hypothesizing that the historical samples would exhibit greater genetic diversity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mtDNA haplotypes present in historical museum samples were identical to haplotypes found in modern koala populations, and no novel haplotypes were detected. Rarefaction analyses suggested that the mtDNA genetic diversity present in the museum samples was similar to that of modern koalas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low mtDNA diversity may have been present in koala populations prior to recent population declines. When considering management strategies, low genetic diversity of the mtDNA hypervariable region may not indicate recent inbreeding or founder events but may reflect an older historical pattern for koalas.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin 10315, Germany.
authors.forename: Kyriakos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsangaras
authors.forename: María C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ávila-Arcos
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Kristofer M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Helgen
authors.forename: Alfred L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Roca
authors.forename: Alex D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Greenwood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004249:DNA Damage; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006239:Haplotypes; D048368:Phascolarctidae / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial