Reduced genetic variability in a captive-bred population of the endangered Hume's pheasant (Syrmaticus humiae, Hume 1881) revealed by microsatellite genotyping and D-loop sequencing

Jitmat Thintip; Worapong Singchat; Syed Farhan Ahmad; Nattakan Ariyaraphong; Narongrit Muangmai; Wiyada Chamchumroon; Klinsak Pitiwong; Warong Suksavate; Sutee Duangjai; Prateep Duengkae; Kornsorn Srikulnath

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0256573

Reduced genetic variability in a captive-bred population of the endangered Hume's pheasant (Syrmaticus humiae, Hume 1881) revealed by microsatellite genotyping and D-loop sequencing

PLoS One. 2021 Aug 27;16(8):e0256573. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256573. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Jitmat Thintip^{1

2}, Worapong Singchat^{1

2

3}, Syed Farhan Ahmad^{1

2

3}, Nattakan Ariyaraphong^{1

2

3}, Narongrit Muangmai^{3

4}, Wiyada Chamchumroon⁵, Klinsak Pitiwong⁵, Warong Suksavate¹, Sutee Duangjai¹, Prateep Duengkae^{1

3}, Kornsorn Srikulnath^{1

2

3

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Biology, Special Research Unit for Wildlife Genomics (SRUWG), Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
² Faculty of Science, Laboratory of Animal Cytogenetics and Comparative Genomics (ACCG), Department of Genetics, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
³ Faculty of Science, Animal Genomics and Bioresource Research Center (AGB), Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁴ Faculty of Fisheries, Department of Fishery Biology, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁵ Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Bangkok, Thailand.
⁶ Center of Excellence on Agricultural Biotechnology (AG-BIO/PERDO-CHE), Bangkok, Thailand.
⁷ Amphibian Research Center, Hiroshima University, Higashihiroshima, Japan.

Abstract

Captive breeding programs are crucial to ensure the survival of endangered species and ultimately to reintroduce individuals into the wild. However, captive-bred populations can also deteriorate due to inbreeding depression and reduction of genetic variability. We genotyped a captive population of 82 individuals of the endangered Hume's pheasant (Syrmaticus humiae, Hume 1881) at the Doi Tung Wildlife Breeding Center to assess the genetic consequences associated with captive breeding. Analysis of microsatellite loci and mitochondrial D-loop sequences reveal significantly reduced genetic differentiation and a shallow population structure. Despite the low genetic variability, no bottleneck was observed but 12 microsatellite loci were informative in reflecting probable inbreeding. These findings provide a valuable source of knowledge to maximize genetic variability and enhance the success of future conservation plans for captive and wild populations of Hume's pheasant.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Wild
Breeding
Conservation of Natural Resources*
Endangered Species*
Genetic Variation / genetics*
Genotype
Haplotypes / genetics
Inbreeding
Microsatellite Repeats / genetics
Quail / genetics*

Associated data

Dryad/10.5061/dryad.qv9s4mwdq

Grants and funding

This research was financially supported by the National Research Council of Thailand in the form of a grant awarded to JT, WS, SFA, WC, KP, WS, PD, and KS (0402.6/1840); the Center for Advanced Studies in Tropical Natural Resources, National Research University-Kasetsart University (CASTNAR, NRU-KU, Thailand) in the form of a grant awarded to PD and KS; the Center of Excellence on Agricultural Biotechnology, Science and Technology Postgraduate Education and Research Development Office, Office of Higher Education Commission, Ministry of Education (AG-BIO/PERDO-CHE) in the form of a grant awarded to KS; the Thailand Science Research and Innovation through the Kasetsart University Reinventing University Program 2021 awarded to NA and KS; the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) in the form of a grant awarded to KS (RSA6180075); and International SciKU Branding (ISB), Faculty of Science, Kasetsart University in the form of funds awarded to KS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.