title: Genetic characterization of wild swamp deer populations: ex situ conservation and forensics implications.
abstract: Swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) is an endemic, Scheduled I species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, India. According to variations in antler size, it has been classified into three subspecies, namely Western (R. duvaucelii duvaucelii), Central (R. duvaucelii branderi), and Eastern (R. duvaucelii ranjitsinhii). For planning effective ex situ and in situ conservation of a wide-ranging species in different bioclimatic regions and in wildlife forensic, the use of genetic characterization in defining morpho/ecotypes has been suggested because of the geographic clines and reproductive isolation. In spite of these morphotypes, very little is known about the genetic characteristics of the three subspecies, hence no strict subspecies-based breeding plan for retaining the evolutionary characteristics in captive populations for subsequent re-introduction is available except for a few studies. We describe the genetic characteristics of these three subspecies using cytochrome b of the mtDNA genome (400 bp). The DNA sequence data indicated 11 variable sites within the three subspecies. Two paraphyletic clades, namely the Central India and Western-Eastern populations were found, whereas the Western and Eastern populations are monophyletic with a bootstrap value of 69% within the clade. We suggest the need of sorting these three subspecies using different molecular mtDNA markers in zoos for captive breeding purposes so as to retain the genetic diversity of the separate geographic clines and to use a subspecies-specific fixed-state nucleotide to assess the extent of poaching to avoid any population demography stochastically in India.
authors: a Wildlife Forensic and Conservation Genetics , Wildlife Institute of India , Dehradun , India.|b Department of Zoology , Veer Kunwar Singh University , Arrah , Bihar , India.
authors: Ved Prakash
authors: 0000-0001-7007-9891
authors: VP
authors: Kumar
authors: c Captive Breeding and Zoo Management Cell , Wildlife Institute of India , Dehradun , India.
authors: Anupam
authors: A
authors: Shrivastwa
authors: c Captive Breeding and Zoo Management Cell , Wildlife Institute of India , Dehradun , India.
authors: Parag
authors: P
authors: Nigam
authors: b Department of Zoology , Veer Kunwar Singh University , Arrah , Bihar , India.
authors: Dhyanendra
authors: D
authors: Kumar
authors: a Wildlife Forensic and Conservation Genetics , Wildlife Institute of India , Dehradun , India.
authors: Surendra Prakash
authors: SP
authors: Goyal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000235:genetics; D003670:Deer / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D050259:Genes, Mitochondrial; D014644:Genetic Variation; D007194:India; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D045303:Cytochromes b
keywords: Cyt b gene; Rucervus duvaucelii branderi; Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii; Rucervus duvaucelii ranjitsinhii; mtDNA