Application of molecular genetic characteristics for reintroduction of the leopard (Panthera pardus L., 1758) in the Caucasus

Рожнов, В. В.; Lukarevskiy, V. S.; Сорокин, П. А.

doi:10.1134/s0012496611020062

Cited by 16 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…, Table and http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bij.12473/suppinfo). IRAN1 and IRAN2 were identical to the published haplotypes az2 ( N = 9) and ir2 ( N = 2), respectively, from the Alborz range and its immediate surroundings (Rozhnov et al ., ). The haplotype IRAN1 was dominant in our sample, occurring throughout Iran.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Conversely, our genetic findings together with previous studies (Uphyrkina et al ., ; Rozhnov et al ., ), indicate that the present captive source of Persian leopards within zoos do not maintain all available genetic variation of the subspecies (i.e. rare haplotypes).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…However, none of the two regional haplotypes, i.e. IRAN2 and IRAN3 (synonymous to ir2) have been reported from outside Iran (Miththapala et al ., ; Uphyrkina et al ., ; Rozhnov et al ., ). Unique haplotype K5 of unknown geographic origin from Russian zoos (Rozhnov et al ., ) might be a mutant of a single captive bred SAX2/af1 female.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Molecular and craniological analysis of leopard,Panthera pardus(Carnivora: Felidae) in Iran: support for a monophyletic clade in Western Asia

Farhadinia

Farahmand

Gavashelishvili

et al. 2015

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As the largest extant cat species in west Asia, the leopard (Panthera pardus) shows high morphological variation, which has led to the description of seven different subspecies in the region. Different investigations have tried to clarify its phylogenetic structure; however, sample size and spatial distribution insufficiently represent the Iranian population, the largest remaining bulk of the Persian leopard (P. p. saxicolor) in the Middle East that probably functioned as a source for the subspecies' range. We examined sequence variation in the mitochondrial NADH-5 gene for 25 leopards from different parts of Iran. Also, we examined 49 adult male skulls to understand the morphological variation of the Iranian leopard population. Our craniometrical results revealed that while no differentiation is seen based on size or shape characteristics from different parts of Iran, larger individuals normally belong to the northern range. Time-calibrated Bayesian phylogenetic analysis suggested that the Iranian female lineage is a monophyletic group that diverged from a group of Asian leopards in the second half of the Pleistocene. Three closely related haplotypes were identified for the entire country: one commonly found haplotype throughout Iran, south Caucasus and Turkmenistan and two localized haplotypes were sequenced from southern Zagros and eastern Alborz. Accordingly, the Persian leopard population in Iran as well as in neighbouring countries can be protected as a large management unit through large-scale conservation planning. Moreover, the available captive stock of the Persian leopard represents an invaluable source for reintroduction for countries interested in restoring their locally extinct population.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Molecular and craniological analysis of leopard,Panthera pardus(Carnivora: Felidae) in Iran: support for a monophyletic clade in Western Asia

Farhadinia

Farahmand

Gavashelishvili

et al. 2015

Biol J Linn Soc Lond

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…dathei Zukowsky, 1959) and South Caucasian leopard (P.p. transcaucasica Zukowsky, 1964) (Khorozyan et al, 2006;Manati, 2008;Farhadinia, 2010;Rozhnov et al, 2011;Stein and Hayssen, 2013;Khorozyan and Ghoddousi, 2014). The other subspecies known from the Middle East are the Anatolian leopard distributed from western Turkey to northern Israel and the Arabian leopard from southern Israel, Sinai Peninsula and Arabia (Khorozyan et al, 2006;Spalton and Al Hikmani, 2006;Henschel et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Morphological variation and sexual dimorphism of the common leopard (Panthera pardus) in the Middle East and their implications for species taxonomy and conservation

Khorozyan

2014

Mammalian Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Please cite this article in press as: Khorozyan, I., Morphological variation and sexual dimorphism of the common leopard (Panthera pardus) in the Middle East and their implications for species taxonomy and conservation. Mammal. Biol. (2014), http://dx. a b s t r a c tDesignation of subspecies in wild cats (Carnivora: Felidae) often results from arbitrary description of morphological characters and it can be confounded by geographic variation and sexual dimorphism. To test the contribution of these factors to subspecies grouping, I studied 22 cranial shape variables in 55 skulls of the common leopard (Panthera pardus) from the Middle East and estimated their differences between the three subspecies groups in this region, namely the Persian leopard (P.p. ciscaucasica Satunin, 1914), Anatolian leopard (P.p. tulliana Valenciennes, 1856) and Arabian leopard (P.p. nimr Hemprich et Ehrenberg, 1833), among sexes. Male and female skulls increased in size with latitude (Bergmann's rule) and female skull size also significantly increased with longitude. Results suggest that taxonomic grouping was determined only by female skulls which showed high variation between the groups, unlike male skulls which varied more within the groups. Inter-group variation of female skulls, presence of only four cranial variables which are significantly different between the groups in all skulls, and the lack of historical barriers for subspeciation may suggest the existence of one leopard subspecies in the Middle East. Independent genetic and ecological studies are required to settle this taxonomic issue. This study urges for securing connectivity between the two remnant, taxonomically identical populations in the region, namely in (i) Iran and neighbouring countries and (ii) four Arab countries and Israel, with more research and conservation efforts in these populations and in the Fertile Crescent lying between them.

show abstract

“…Those factors have been comprehensively reviewed (Beck et al, 1994;Breitenmoser et al, 2001;Jule et al, 2008;Clark, 2009) yet there remains a troubling trend for ad hoc reintroduction efforts using captive individuals. Elsewhere, we have discussed failed reintroduction attempts for captive Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx (Breitenmoser & Breitenmoser-Würsten, 2008) and jaguars Panthera onca (Hunter & Rabinowitz, 2009), and there are controversial projects proposing the release of zoo-born tigers Panthera tigris and leopards Panthera pardus (Khosravifard, 2010;Rozhnov et al, 2011). In this article we examine commercial lion encounter programmes in Africa that promote captive breeding of lions as a putative source for reintroduction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Walking with lions: why there is no role for captive-origin lions Panthera leo in species restoration

Hunter

White

Henschel

et al. 2012

Oryx

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite formidable challenges and few successes in reintroducing large cats from captivity to the wild, the release of captives has widespread support from the general public and local governments, and continues to occur ad hoc. Commercial so-called lion Panthera leo encounter operations in Africa exemplify the issue, in which the captive breeding of the lion is linked to claims of reintroduction and broader conservation outcomes. In this article we assess the capacity of such programmes to contribute to in situ lion conservation. By highlighting the availability of wild founders, the unsuitability of captive lions for release and the evidence-based success of wild-wild lion translocations, we show that captive-origin lions have no role in species restoration. We also argue that approaches to reintroduction exemplified by the lion encounter industry do not address the reasons for the decline of lions in situ, nor do they represent a model that can be widely applied to restoration of threatened felids elsewhere.

show abstract

Application of molecular genetic characteristics for reintroduction of the leopard (Panthera pardus L., 1758) in the Caucasus

Cited by 16 publications

References 7 publications

Molecular and craniological analysis of leopard,Panthera pardus(Carnivora: Felidae) in Iran: support for a monophyletic clade in Western Asia

Molecular and craniological analysis of leopard,Panthera pardus(Carnivora: Felidae) in Iran: support for a monophyletic clade in Western Asia

Morphological variation and sexual dimorphism of the common leopard (Panthera pardus) in the Middle East and their implications for species taxonomy and conservation

Walking with lions: why there is no role for captive-origin lions Panthera leo in species restoration

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About