Genetic diversity, relatedness and inbreeding of ranched and fragmented Cape buffalo populations in southern Africa.

ABSTRACT: Wildlife ranching, although not considered a conventional conservation system, provides a sustainable model for wildlife utilization and could be a source of valuable genetic material. However, increased fragmentation and intensive management may threaten the evolutionary potential and conservation value of species. Disease-free Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) in southern Africa exist in populations with a variety of histories and management practices. We compared the genetic diversity of buffalo in national parks to private ranches and found that, except for Addo Elephant National Park, genetic diversity was high and statistically equivalent. We found that relatedness and inbreeding levels were not substantially different between ranched populations and those in national parks, indi

SUBMITTER: de Jager D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7428177 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature