Diversification and subspecies patterning of the goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) in Iran.

Davoud Fadakar,Eva V Bärmann,Hamid Reza Rezaei,Maryam Naseri Nasari,Masoumeh Mirzakhah,Hannes Lerp

doi:10.1002/ece3.6324

Abstract

Goitered gazelles, Gazella subgutturosa, exist in arid and semiarid regions of Asia from the Middle to the Far East. Although large populations were present over a vast area until recently, a decline of the population as a result of hunting, poaching, and habitat loss led to the IUCN classification of G. subgutturosa as “vulnerable." We examined genetic diversity, structure, and phylogeny of G. subgutturosa using mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences from 18 geographically distant populations in Iran. The median‐joining network of cyt b haplotypes indicated that three clades of goitered gazelles can be distinguished: a Middle Eastern clade west of the Zagros Mountains (and connected to populations in Turkey and Iraq), a Central Iranian clade (with connection to Azerbaijan), and an Asiatic clade in northeastern Iran (with connection to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and other Asian countries as far as northeastern China and Mongolia). Based on our results, we argue that Iran is the center of diversification of goitered gazelles, due to the presence of large mountain ranges and deserts that lead to the separation of populations. In accordance with previous morphological studies, we identified the Asiatic clade as the subspecies G. s. yarkandensis, and the other two clades as the nominate form G. s. subgutturosa. The new genetic information for goitered gazelles in Iran provides the basis for future national conservation programs of this species.

Highlights

It is generally accepted that maintaining genetic diversity is necessary for species conservation (Reed & Frankham, 2003)
Our results show that the geography of Iran correlates with subspecies patterning in G. subgutturosa, the main geographic barrier is not the Zagros mountain range, as hypothesized before
G. s. subgutturosa in Central Iran is connected to the populations in the Middle East and Azerbaijan, while the gazelles in northeastern Iran are more closely related to G. s. yarkandensis in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and China

Summary

| INTRODUCTION

It is generally accepted that maintaining genetic diversity is necessary for species conservation (Reed & Frankham, 2003). The majority of the recent studies, focused on population genetics of specific regions within the range of G. subgutturosa, for example XUAR in China (Abduriyim, Nabi, & Halik, 2018a; Abduriyim, Zibibulla, et al, 2018; Dong et al, 2016) or Iran (Fadakar et al, 2019; Khosravi et al, 2019; Mirzakhah et al, 2015; Zachos et al, 2010) without addressing taxonomic questions. A resident population of G. marica in Mond PA is in close proximity to the habitat of G. bennettii in Nayband National Park (NP) northwest of the Persian Gulf Another important aspect for the in situ conservation of G. subgutturosa in Iran is to understand the connectivity of (sub-) populations for assessing the impact of inbreeding, or for evaluating which areas are most important for maintaining a healthy population. We hypothesized that (1) all supposed Iranian G. subgutturosa populations belong to this species and no further maternal introgression from G. marica occurred, and (2) the Zagros mountain range acts as a geographical barrier between the gazelle populations that occur east and west of the mountains, as was proposed based on morphological studies (Geptner, Nasimovich, & Bannikov, 1961; Hayatgheib et al, 2011)

| MATERIAL AND METHODS

| DISCUSSION

Findings

H62 H67