Estimation and management of genetic diversity in small populations of plains zebra ( Equus quagga) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

• Published in: Biochemical systematics and ecology Vol. 29; no. 6; pp. 563 - 583
• Main Authors: Bowland, Anthony E, Bishop, Karen S, Taylor, Peter J, Lamb, Jenny, van der Bank, F.Herman, van Wyk, Erica, York, Denis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2001
• Subjects: Allozymes; Equus burchellii; Equus quagga antiquorum; Heterozygosity; MVP; PCR-RAPD analysis; PVA; zebras; zebras; MVP; Allozymes; PVA; PCR-RAPD analysis; Equus quagga antiquorum; Heterozygosity
• ISSN: 0305-1978; 1873-2925
• DOI: 10.1016/S0305-1978(00)00097-1

Plains zebras ( Equus quagga antiquorum) occur in few large, but many small, isolated populations in KwaZulu-Natal. Problems identified in small populations include reduced striping patterns on hind quarters, smaller size, elevated mortality rates and high number of still-births. Inbreeding may be implicated. Population viability analysis (PVA) was conducted with a computer model (VORTEX), and DNA and allozyme analyses were conducted to test the findings of the model. Using standard methods, DNA (PCR-RAPD) and allozyme diversity was assessed in blood samples from 72 plains zebra from four KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Services (KZN-NCS) protected areas: Umfolozi Game Reserve (UGR), Albert Falls (AFNR), Vernon Crookes (VCNR) and Harold Johnson (HJNR) Nature Reserves. Populations of the latter three, small-sized (9–110 individuals) populations were seeded from the same source population (UGR: current population of 2000) during the past 25 years. Information from PCR-RAPD and allozyme analyses were compared with each other as well as to that predicted by population genetic modelling (using VORTEX). Allozyme heterozygosities were consistently high in all populations (12.1–12.9%), with no observable losses associated with reduced population size. On the other hand, percentage loss of polymorphism (20–39%) calculated from the PCR-RAPD study appeared to be positively correlated with the loss of heterozygosity predicted by population viability analysis (PVA), and negatively correlated with population size. On the basis of the above results, a policy of translocation was advocated for small, intensely managed populations of zebras, whereby a harem should be translocated every five years for a population size of nine (HJNR), while for a population size of 110 (VCNR) translocations should take place every 15 years if heterozygosity is to be maintained at more than 90% within each population over 100 years.