Lahaul–Zanskar–Sham Valley Corridor in Indian Trans Himalayan Region Facilitates Dispersal and Gene Flow in Himalayan Ibex
Wildlife corridors that connect mosaic habitats in heterogeneous mountainous landscapes can be of high significance as they facilitate the genetic and demographic stability of free-ranging populations. Peripheral populations of widespread species are usually ignored in conservation planning. However...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/3/382 |
| _version_ | 1797613413063458816 |
|---|---|
| author | Gul Jabin Stanzin Dolker Bheem Dutt Joshi Sujeet Kumar Singh Kailash Chandra Lalit Kumar Sharma Mukesh Thakur |
| author_facet | Gul Jabin Stanzin Dolker Bheem Dutt Joshi Sujeet Kumar Singh Kailash Chandra Lalit Kumar Sharma Mukesh Thakur |
| author_sort | Gul Jabin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Wildlife corridors that connect mosaic habitats in heterogeneous mountainous landscapes can be of high significance as they facilitate the genetic and demographic stability of free-ranging populations. Peripheral populations of widespread species are usually ignored in conservation planning. However, these populations retain locally common alleles and are genetic reservoir under the changing climatic conditions. <i>Capra sibirica</i> has widespread distribution, and its southern peripheral population is distributed in the Indian trans-Himalayan region (ITR). In the present study, we studied the spatial distribution and genetic make-up of Himalayan ibex from the ITR following the landscape genetics approach. We obtained 16 haplotypes at the mitochondrial d-loop region and found a stable demography in the past with a recent decline. With 10 nuclear microsatellites, we ascertained 111 unique individuals assigned into two clusters following Bayesian and non-Bayesian clustering analysis with several admixed individuals. We also recorded 25 first-generation migrants that reflected relatively high dispersal and gene-flow across the range. We identified a 19,835 sq.km suitable area with 13,311 sq.km in Ladakh and 6524 sq.km in Lahaul-Spiti. We identified a novel movement corridor for Himalayan ibex across the Lahaul–Zanskar–Sham valley (L–Z–SV) that displayed a fairly good conductance with low genetic divergence among the samples collected on the L–Z–SV corridor. We propose declaring a protected area in the Lahaul and Kargil districts to prioritize dedicated conservation efforts for the Himalayan ibex and other sympatric ungulates that impart a major role in the diet of large carnivore and balancing ecosystem services in the trans-Himalayan region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:54:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-68aa5578ae704f6bbba2597bd6746170 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:54:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-68aa5578ae704f6bbba2597bd67461702023-11-17T09:41:24ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372023-02-0112338210.3390/biology12030382Lahaul–Zanskar–Sham Valley Corridor in Indian Trans Himalayan Region Facilitates Dispersal and Gene Flow in Himalayan IbexGul Jabin0Stanzin Dolker1Bheem Dutt Joshi2Sujeet Kumar Singh3Kailash Chandra4Lalit Kumar Sharma5Mukesh Thakur6Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, IndiaZoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, IndiaZoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, IndiaZoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, IndiaZoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, IndiaZoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, IndiaZoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata 700053, West Bengal, IndiaWildlife corridors that connect mosaic habitats in heterogeneous mountainous landscapes can be of high significance as they facilitate the genetic and demographic stability of free-ranging populations. Peripheral populations of widespread species are usually ignored in conservation planning. However, these populations retain locally common alleles and are genetic reservoir under the changing climatic conditions. <i>Capra sibirica</i> has widespread distribution, and its southern peripheral population is distributed in the Indian trans-Himalayan region (ITR). In the present study, we studied the spatial distribution and genetic make-up of Himalayan ibex from the ITR following the landscape genetics approach. We obtained 16 haplotypes at the mitochondrial d-loop region and found a stable demography in the past with a recent decline. With 10 nuclear microsatellites, we ascertained 111 unique individuals assigned into two clusters following Bayesian and non-Bayesian clustering analysis with several admixed individuals. We also recorded 25 first-generation migrants that reflected relatively high dispersal and gene-flow across the range. We identified a 19,835 sq.km suitable area with 13,311 sq.km in Ladakh and 6524 sq.km in Lahaul-Spiti. We identified a novel movement corridor for Himalayan ibex across the Lahaul–Zanskar–Sham valley (L–Z–SV) that displayed a fairly good conductance with low genetic divergence among the samples collected on the L–Z–SV corridor. We propose declaring a protected area in the Lahaul and Kargil districts to prioritize dedicated conservation efforts for the Himalayan ibex and other sympatric ungulates that impart a major role in the diet of large carnivore and balancing ecosystem services in the trans-Himalayan region.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/3/382biological corridorslandscape genetics<i>Capra sibirica</i>genetic diversityconnectivity |
| spellingShingle | Gul Jabin Stanzin Dolker Bheem Dutt Joshi Sujeet Kumar Singh Kailash Chandra Lalit Kumar Sharma Mukesh Thakur Lahaul–Zanskar–Sham Valley Corridor in Indian Trans Himalayan Region Facilitates Dispersal and Gene Flow in Himalayan Ibex Biology biological corridors landscape genetics <i>Capra sibirica</i> genetic diversity connectivity |
| title | Lahaul–Zanskar–Sham Valley Corridor in Indian Trans Himalayan Region Facilitates Dispersal and Gene Flow in Himalayan Ibex |
| title_full | Lahaul–Zanskar–Sham Valley Corridor in Indian Trans Himalayan Region Facilitates Dispersal and Gene Flow in Himalayan Ibex |
| title_fullStr | Lahaul–Zanskar–Sham Valley Corridor in Indian Trans Himalayan Region Facilitates Dispersal and Gene Flow in Himalayan Ibex |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lahaul–Zanskar–Sham Valley Corridor in Indian Trans Himalayan Region Facilitates Dispersal and Gene Flow in Himalayan Ibex |
| title_short | Lahaul–Zanskar–Sham Valley Corridor in Indian Trans Himalayan Region Facilitates Dispersal and Gene Flow in Himalayan Ibex |
| title_sort | lahaul zanskar sham valley corridor in indian trans himalayan region facilitates dispersal and gene flow in himalayan ibex |
| topic | biological corridors landscape genetics <i>Capra sibirica</i> genetic diversity connectivity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/12/3/382 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT guljabin lahaulzanskarshamvalleycorridorinindiantranshimalayanregionfacilitatesdispersalandgeneflowinhimalayanibex AT stanzindolker lahaulzanskarshamvalleycorridorinindiantranshimalayanregionfacilitatesdispersalandgeneflowinhimalayanibex AT bheemduttjoshi lahaulzanskarshamvalleycorridorinindiantranshimalayanregionfacilitatesdispersalandgeneflowinhimalayanibex AT sujeetkumarsingh lahaulzanskarshamvalleycorridorinindiantranshimalayanregionfacilitatesdispersalandgeneflowinhimalayanibex AT kailashchandra lahaulzanskarshamvalleycorridorinindiantranshimalayanregionfacilitatesdispersalandgeneflowinhimalayanibex AT lalitkumarsharma lahaulzanskarshamvalleycorridorinindiantranshimalayanregionfacilitatesdispersalandgeneflowinhimalayanibex AT mukeshthakur lahaulzanskarshamvalleycorridorinindiantranshimalayanregionfacilitatesdispersalandgeneflowinhimalayanibex |