Barbora Zemanová

Population genetics of chamois in the contact zone between the Alps and the Dinaric Mountains: uncovering the role of habitat fragmentation and past management

The chamois is a habitat specialist ungulate occupying “continental archipelagos” of fragmented rocky habitats which are frequently restricted to high altitudes. It is not clear whether forest habitats separating such population fragments act as barriers to gene flow. We studied the genetic makeup of the chamois in a topographically diverse landscape at the contact zone of two mountain ranges in Slovenia. Based on sequences of mitochondrial DNA, all Slovenian populations belong to a Northern chamois (Rupicapra r. rupicapra) subspecies. The range of chamois in Slovenia encompasses three different regions, each with unique topography, habitat connectivity and abundance of chamois: the Alps, the Dinaric Mts., and the Pohorje Mts. The habitat of the chamois is extensive and more or less continuous in the Alps, but suboptimal and fragmented in the remaining regions. In agreement with neutral genetic theory, large Northern chamois populations tended to have higher allelic richness and observed heterozygosity. Spatial clustering bears the differentiation into four geographically associated clusters within Slovenia and also revealed a strong substructure within all mountain ranges with suboptimal chamois habitat. Surprisingly, some small Dinaric populations have stayed genetically isolated in restricted habitat patches, even if they are geographically very close to each other. The four clusters, each having a unique demographic history, should be regarded as independent units for management purposes.

A core set of microsatellite markers for conservation genetics studies of Korean goral (Naemorhedus caudatus) and its cross-species amplification in Caprinae species

In order to screen microsatellites for conservation genetics studies of the species, a total of 23 microsatellite loci from Korean goral (Naemorhedus caudatus), including 15 previously developed loci and 8 new loci in this study, were tested. Eleven microsatellites were screened and subjected to cross-species amplification using a test panel of four Caprinae species, Japanese serows (Capricornis crispus), Chinese gorals (Naemorhedus goral), Northern chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) and domestic goats (Capra hircus). In addition, all eleven microsatellites (SY3A, SY12A, SY12B, SY48, SY58, SY71, SY76, SY84, SY84B, SY112, and SY129) satisfied the criteria to be a core set of microsatellites. This core set of microsatellites and cross-species amplification of Korean goral microsatellites were found to be helpful for high-resolution studies for conservation and management of Korean goral and other endangered Caprinae species.

Chamois introductions to Central Europe and New Zealand

Abstract. Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) introductions were popular at the beginning of the 20th century when first animals were shipped from Austria to the Czech Republic and New Zealand. The historical record of the Czech introduction indicates Neuberg Mürzsteg Game Reserve in Eastern Alps, Styria, Austria as the main area of origin of founders. First animals for the New Zealand population are thought to have originated from Ebensee, Upper Austria, Austria and later more animals came from the Mürzsteg region. We sequenced mitochondrial control region of chamois from the introduced populations and their putative source areas, and we applied median-joining networks and Bayesian inference analysis to distinguish the regions of origin of female founders. We found the Mürzsteg region as the most likely source population for introductions to the Czech Republic and New Zealand, supplemented with close association with sequences from Ebensee in populations from the Czech Republic. Genetic diversity present in the Czech Republic was further relocated to the introduced populations in Slovakia in the 1960s.