Spatial Genetic Analysis Reveals High Connectivity of Tiger (Panthera Tigris) Populations in the Satpura-Maikal Landscape of Central India

Overview

Journal Ecol Evol

Date 2013 Feb 14

PMID 23403813

Citations 20

Authors

Sandeep Sharma

Trishna Dutta

Jesus E Maldonado

Thomas C Wood

Hemendra Singh Panwar

John Seidensticker

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We investigated the spatial genetic structure of the tiger meta-population in the Satpura-Maikal landscape of central India using population- and individual-based genetic clustering methods on multilocus genotypic data from 273 individuals. The Satpura-Maikal landscape is classified as a global-priority Tiger Conservation Landscape (TCL) due to its potential for providing sufficient habitat that will allow the long-term persistence of tigers. We found that the tiger meta-population in the Satpura-Maikal landscape has high genetic variation and very low genetic subdivision. Individual-based Bayesian clustering algorithms reveal two highly admixed genetic populations. We attribute this to forest connectivity and high gene flow in this landscape. However, deforestation, road widening, and mining may sever this connectivity, impede gene exchange, and further exacerbate the genetic division of tigers in central India.

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