title: Microsatellite Loci Analysis Reveals Post-bottleneck Recovery of Genetic Diversity in the Tibetan Antelope.
abstract: The Tibetan antelope (chiru, Pantholops hodgsoni) is one of the most endangered mammals native to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The population size has rapidly declined over the last century due to illegal hunting and habitat damage. In the past 10 years, the population has reportedly been expanding due to conservation efforts. Several lines of evidence suggest that the Tibetan antelope has undergone a demographic bottleneck. However, the consequences of the bottleneck on genetic diversity and the post-bottleneck genetic recovery remain unknown. In this study, we investigate the genetic variation of 15 microsatellite loci from two Tibetan antelope populations sampled in 2003 (Pop2003) and 2013 (Pop2013). A higher level of genetic diversity (NA, 13.286; He, 0.840; PIC, 0.813; I, 2.114) was detected in Pop2013, compared to Pop2003 (NA, 12.929; He, 0.818; PIC, 0.789; I, 2.033). We observe that despite passing through the bottleneck, the Tibetan antelope retains high levels of genetic diversity. Furthermore, our results show significant or near significant increases in genetic diversity (He, PIC and I) in Pop2013 compared with Pop2003, which suggests that protection efforts did not arrive too late for the Tibetan antelope.
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Geography Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China.
authors.forename: Yurong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Evolution and Adaptation of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810007, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
authors.forename: Yongtao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
authors.forename: Xinyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Geography Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China.
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qinghai University for Nationalities, Xining 810001, China.
authors.forename: Xuze
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Geography Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China.
authors.forename: Mengyu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Geography Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China.
authors.forename: Jianbin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Evolution and Adaptation of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810007, China.
authors.forename: Songchang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000866:Antelopes / Q000235:genetics*; D056426:Genetic Loci; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium / Q000235:genetics; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D018609:Tibet