TITLE:
Genetic analysis for geographic isolation comparison of brown bears living in the periphery of the Western Carpathians Mountains with bears living in other areas
AUTHORS:
Ján Graban, Jana Kisková, Pavol Pepich, Robin Rigg
KEYWORDS:
Carpathian Mountains; European Brown Bear; Ursus arctos L.; Genetic Diversity; Microsatellite Markers; Non-Invasive Sampling
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Genetics,
Vol.3 No.3,
August
28,
2013
ABSTRACT: Populations of the European
brown bear (Ursus arctos L.) differ
substantially in size, degree of geographic isolation and level of genetic diversity.
Present patterns result from phylogeographic processes and profound human
intervention. We assessed the genetic variability of a subpopulation of brown
bears near the periphery of their range in the Western
Carpathian Mountains and compared their genetic properties with
those of bears in the core of the same population and elsewhere. Samples were
collected non-invasively in 2007-2008 and2010
in Strázovské Vrchy Protected Landscape Area (PLA) in Slovakia (included in the NATURA 2000 networking programme). Seven polymorphic microsatellite loci (UaMU26, UaMU64,
G10B, G1D, G10L,
UaMU50 and UaMU51) were amplified using a nested PCR in order to assess the
following parameters: variability, allelic combinations, heterozygosity, number
of alleles and inbreeding coefficient. Sufficient brown bear DNA for analysis
was obtained from 57 out of 140 samples (41%), among which 45 different
genotypes were identified. Loci had a mean of 2.71 ± 0.76 alleles. Average
observed heterozygosity was 0.59. The inbreeding coefficient was negative for
all but one of the analysed loci (2007-2008). In the year 2010 was negative
three of seven loci. These results imply that gene flow with other parts of the
population has been maintained in the reduced level and the isolation level of
bears in the study area was not so low. Nevertheless, the genetic variability
of bears in Strázovské Vrchy PLA was lower than that reported from other
localities in the Carpathian Mountains. The
results are discussed in the context of behavioural ecology and conservation
genetics.