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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 109(3)

Genetic structure of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) populations in two regions with different land-uses in central Argentina

Virginia Alonso Roldán A C , Hernán Rossi Fraire B , Joaquín Luis Navarro A , Cristina Noemí Gardenal B and Mónica Beatriz Martella A D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, CC 122, CP: 5000, Córdoba, Argentina.

B Cátedra de Genética de Poblaciones y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Vélez Sarsfield 299, CP: 5000, Córdoba, Argentina.

C Present address: Centro Nacional Patagónico – CONICET, Bv. Brown 2825, U9120ACF, Puerto Madryn, Argentina.

D Corresponding author. Email: martemo@efn.uncor.edu

Emu 109(3) 214-221 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU08073
Submitted: 20 December 2008  Accepted: 18 May 2009   Published: 17 August 2009

Abstract

The distribution of populations of Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) are fragmented, probably owing to the conversion of grasslands to croplands. This study analyses the genetic structure of populations of Greater Rhea in areas with different degrees of anthropogenic alteration. Molecular variation was evaluated using Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) markers in five wild populations that inhabit an agroecosystem and an area of semi-natural grassland. The populations were polymorphic for 23.33% of loci, with an average genetic diversity of 0.0822, and the populations of the two regions showed similar levels of variability. This low level of polymorphism may have be a result of historical bottlenecks and the long generation time of this species. The analysis of molecular variance showed highly significant differences among populations and non-significant differences between regions. The effects of habitat changes might not be the most important factor determining the genetic differentiation among populations currently. However, as modification of landscape structure of the Pampas grasslands could be more severe in the future, conservation of the Greater Rhea requires careful land-use planning.

Additional keywords: conservation, gene flow, grassland, habitat loss, ISSR.


Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the owners of the ranches La Panchita, El Toro, Los Guaicos, La Colina, El Águila and Campo Grande, for allowing us to conduct the sampling on their properties. V. A. R. was supported by a fellowship from the Maestría en Manejo de Vida Silvestre, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Funding for this work was provided by the Fondo para la Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, the Secretaría de Ciencia y Técnica of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, and the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas – CONICET (C. N. G., M. B. M. and J. L. N. are researchers of CONICET). The study met Argentine legal requirements.


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