Genetic diversity of the Griffon vulture population in Serbia and its importance for conservation efforts in the Balkans

Abstract

The Griffon vulture was once a widespread species across the region of Southeast Europe, but it is now endangered and in some parts is completely extinct. In the Balkan Peninsula the largest Griffon vulture inland population inhabits the territory of Serbia. We present, for the first time, the genetic data of this valuable population that could be a source for future reintroduction programs planned in South-eastern Europe. To characterize the genetic structure of this population we used microsatellite markers from ten loci. Blood samples were collected from 57 chicks directly in the nests during the ongoing monitoring program. We performed a comparative analysis of the obtained data with the existing data from three native populations from French Pyrenees, Croatia, and Israel. We have assessed the genetic differentiation between different native populations and determined the existence of two genetic clusters that differentiate the populations from the Balkan and Iberian Peninsulas. Furthermore, we analysed whether the recent bottleneck events influenced the genetic structure of the populations studied, and we found that all native populations experienced a recent bottleneck event, and that the population of Israel was the least affected. Nevertheless, the parameters of genetic diversity suggest that all analysed populations have retained a similar level of genetic diversity and that the Griffon vulture population from Serbia exhibits the highest value for private alleles. The results of this study suggest that the Griffon vulture populations of the Balkan Peninsula are genetically differentiated from the populations of the Iberian Peninsula, which is an important information for future reintroduction strategies.

Anthropogenic Drivers Leading to Population Decline and Genetic Preservation of the Eurasian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)

“…This tendency to prefer the safety of an already known breeding site to the uncertainty of the unknown leads to a reduction in the dispersion rate and favours the formation of colonies, which tend to diversify at a rate proportional to the isolation time, as previously detected in populations on islands [50,61]. Such a behaviour is one of the causes of the site-specific genetic variability highlighted among griffon vulture populations in different geographical areas [50,62]. The Eurasian griffon is sedentary, but it can colonise new areas thanks to the dispersal behaviour of young individuals which are driven to explore new territories by overpopulation or reduction in food availability.…”

“…Another important aspect to consider when restocking is carried out is the climate which must be similar between the source region and the area in which the animals will be reintroduced. Indeed, Davidovic et al [62] pointed out specific morphological differences between the griffon vultures that inhabit the Balkan Peninsula and their counterparts from the Iberian Peninsula. On average, the griffon from the Balkan Peninsula shows a greater body mass and have later hatching time, 1 month after the Mediterranean populations, most likely as an adaptation to a colder climate and delays of herds pasturing due to longer periods of cold.…”

“…The genetic characterisation of native populations-especially if subjected to pressures causing a significant demographic decline-allow the collection of information useful to preserve local variants that have found to be exclusive to some geographical areas, as in the cases mentioned above of Sardinia and Crete. During the last 20 years, many molecular studies have been carried out aiming to analyse the genetic variability among and within several G. fulvus populations from the whole Eurasian continent [50,61,62,[128][129][130]. Most of these studies were performed by means of mitochondrial and/or microsatellite markers.…”

Genetic signatures of population bottlenecks, relatedness, and inbreeding highlight recent and novel conservation concerns in the Egyptian vulture

“…Among large long-lived birds, vultures provide a case study of certain extreme life history traits ( Van Overveld et al, 2020 ), so they may be excellent models to study the impact of environmental and demographic stochasticity, and to test predictions on contemporary and historical variation in neutral genetic diversity, population trends, and extinction risk. Despite vultures being one of the most threatened groups of birds, the information on genetic diversity of populations and species is still limited ( Godoy et al, 2004 ; Poulakakis et al, 2008 ; Martínez-Cruz & Camarena, 2018 ; Çakmak et al, 2019 ; Kleinhans & Willows-Munro, 2019 ; Davidović et al, 2020 ). As a consequence, there is a paucity of information on whether the interaction between life history traits, environmental features, and population characteristics can shape a genetic influence on the persistence and conservation of their populations.…”

Peer Review #2 of "Genetic signatures of population bottlenecks, relatedness, and inbreeding highlight recent and novel conservation concerns in the Egyptian vulture (v0.1)"

“…Among large long-lived birds, vultures provide a case study of certain extreme life history traits (van Overveld et al, 2020), so they may be excellent models to study the impact of environmental and demographic stochasticity, and to test predictions on contemporary and historical variation in neutral genetic diversity, population trends, and extinction risk. Despite vultures being one of the most threatened groups of birds, the information on genetic diversity of populations and species is still limited (Godoy et al, 2004;Poulakakis et al, 2008;Martínez-Cruz & Camarena, 2018;Çakmak et al, 2019;Kleinhans & Willows-Munro, 2019;Davidović et al 2020). As a consequence, there is a paucity of information on whether the interaction between life history traits, environmental features, and population characteristics can shape a genetic influence on the persistence and conservation of their populations.…”