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The red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) from Elba Island: conservation perspectives for a last resort resource in Italy
No full textThe red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa, Galliformes) is listed as Species of European Conservation Concern (SPEC 2) and evaluated as threatened under the European legislation. Although introgressed with the exotic chukar partridge (A. chukar), the conservation value of the Elba Island population (Tuscan Archipelago National Park, central Italy) is not under question, as it represents the ultimate wild repository of at least part of the otherwise extinct Italian A. r. rufa genome. Moreover, its comparatively long natural history, self-sustainability and lack of restocking over the last 25 years represent additional valuable features. Nevertheless, the alleged affiliation of this population to the nominal subspecies has not been investigated yet, though it would provide key information for its management within an adaptive conservation framework. In this study, we collected 113 fecal samples across Elba and genotyped the joint Cytochrome-b and Control Region genes (ca. 2,250 nucleotides) for comparison with 149 conspecifics from all over the species distribution range. Other than confirming extensive A. chukar mitochondrial DNA introgression in Elba partridges, their assignment to the nominal subspecies from Italy and France was disproved by haplotypes ascribed to its Iberian counterpart. Moreover, after 30 years of steady demographic decrease of local partridges, our analyses show very limited connectivity between western and eastern subpopulations due to conifer reforestation, which made the habitat in central Elba unsuitable for the species. These data call for the creation of ecological corridors to restore connectivity and evaluate the possible adaptive introgression in this overtly admixed yet irreplaceable landbird island population
Collezioni museali e biogeografia molecolare del francolino nero (Francolinus francolinus, Phasianidae)
No full textPopolazioni moderne ed estinte di francolino nero (Francolinus francolinus, Galliformes): un approccio genetico-molecolare
No full textBarbary, chukar and red-legged: 10 years of research on Alectoris partridges at the University of Pisa
No full textMolecular phylogeography and museum specimens: the case of the black francolin (Francolinus francolinus)
Full text linkThanks to the recent advances in molecular biology, application of archival DNA techniques for the investigation of specimens preserved in museums has come to represent an invaluable tool in conservation and evolutionary studies. The benefits of such an approach are evident with rare and elusive taxa displaying extremely wide distribution ranges. Sampling may be even more challenging with species whose range stretches over remote or politically unstable countries. As case in point, the extent of occurrence of the black francolin (Francolinus francolinus, Phasianidae) ranges from Cyprus across the Middle East to the Indian sub-continent, including six morphologically recognized clinal subspecies. Renowned as valuable game bird since the Classical Age, the black francolin has always aroused a considerable fascination, yet investigations on this species are still scarce. The goal of this study is getting a comprehensive insight into the phylogeographic pattern of the black francolin by means of a molecular approach to implement the available ecological data for planning management actions within an adaptive conservation framework. In order to pursue a whole coverage of the species distribution range, a number of tissues were loaned from properly selected specimens (n = 77) hosted at US and European natural history museum collections to implement the sampling of modern representatives (n = 205). All of the samples were investigated at a 185 bp-long fragment of the mitochondrial DNA Control Region. Overall, a well-marked intra-specific genetic structure largely coherent with the identification of traditional subspecies emerged, but the most interesting result was the occurrence of haplotypes ascribed to the Near East and the Indian subcontinent also in historical birds from Italy and Spain, which points to the importation of staple and rare exotic species from faraway places fueled by elite demand during the Medieval times and the Renaissance
The Black Francolin. Food for gourmets, game for nobles, lust for lovers: reawakening the memory and assessing the origin of a prized courtly bird.
No full textSome animals are somehow paradoxical: well impressed in the collective imaginary of the recent past, they might be nonetheless soon removed from our memory. Among these, the black francolin (Francolinus francolinus; BF), a pheasant-like bird known as Attagen in the Classic Age, is an exemplary case. Presently distributed from Cyprus and the Middle East eastwards to the Indian subcontinent, the BF was also found in Italy and Spain till the XIXth c., yet its nativeness to such areas was dubious. Long regarded as a renowned delicacy, the meat of this bird was also thought to possess medical and even aphrodisiac properties. For this reason, the BF was hold in high regard by the aristocracy in Medieval and Renaissance Europe as courtly gamebird. This is well documented by the severe bans restricting hunting of this bird to ruling elites enacted in Spain, Sicily and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany during the XVth c. onwards, with penalties ranging from exorbitant fines to even corporal punishment. Traditionally hunted by falconry, the BF is mentioned in a number of letters exchanged by rulers both in Italy and Spain that point to the relevance of this species as symbol of wealth and prestige. Interestingly, the species is portrayed as valuable game in a number of still life paintings realized in Italy and Spain during the XVIIth c. When the strict protection ceased, the BF rapidly became extinct in the western Mediterranean due to uncontrolled harvest and land reclamation, notwithstanding the belated attempts to save the species with the offer of cash prices for people who protected nests and broods. Here we present a multidisciplinary study relying on a thorough historical documentation and an extensive DNA analysis of modern and archival specimens (mtDNA Control Region gene; n = 281) aimed at unveiling the origin of the BF in the western Mediterranean and, at the same time, rescuing the memory of this prized bird from oblivion. Our data targeted the species as nonnative to the western Mediterranean, pointing to the occurrence of geographically distinct genetic stocks. If, on the one hand, the invoked importation from Cyprus during the Crusades was confirmed on a molecular basis, on the other hand strong evidences for importations from southern Asia through long-distance trade routes emerged. Noteworthy, this finding shed further light on the major role played by Portuguese merchants in satisfying the demand for exotic species at European courts and, more generally, on the sometimes neglected involvement of human-mediated species dispersal in shaping present-day biodiversity
Genetic characterization of game bird island populations: the conservation of the black francolin (Francolinus francolinus) of Cyprus
No full textThe release of exotic genotypes into the wild can lead to the extinction of local demes through the hybridization among distinct gene pools. This may occur between wild specimens and their domesticated relatives. Escaped pets represent a well-known pathway for the introduction of allochtonous resources, and island environments require major attention as they include small-sized and naïve populations that may be prone to extinction. We characterized the genetic make-up of the black francolin (Francolinus francolinus, Phasianidae) resident to Cyprus using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA for the purpose of sustainable use and long-term protection of this game species. We collected 59 samples of specimens hunted in the districts of Nicosia and Paphos, while others (n=18) were obtained from birds of unknown origin. These had been imported to a pet-centre in Nicosia, the largest in the capital offering animals either for production or leisure purposes. Both genetic systems pointed to the occurrence of distinct wild district populations that could be treated as separate management units. The non-significant value of the inbreeding coefficient (FIS) computed for Nicosia and Paphos populations (-0.039 and -0.189, respectively: P>0.05) and the lack of evidence for recent genetic bottlenecks did not indicate a serious risk of over-hunting. The microsatellites revealed the birds in the pet-centre as highly genetically divergent with respect to the wild ones, the mtDNA pointed to their assignment to alien Asian subspecies once they were compared to141 sequences of allopatric francolins. We advised the Game & Fauna Service to consider law enforcement to ban the import, detention and sale of these subspecies to protect the black francolin population native to Cyprus. The results are discussed in the context of a bibliographic frame including the partridges of the genus Alectoris (Phasianidae) as a model group with reference to genetic characterization and conservation of game bird island population
Breeding site selection by olfactory cues in the threatened northern spectacled salamander Salamandrina perspicillata (Savi, 1821)
No full text1. The conservation of small aquatic habitats is fundamental to preserving diversity in
Mediterranean freshwater ecosystems. Amphibians are particularly endangered, as their chemical
world, represented by both abiotic and biotic scent trails, is highly susceptible to environmental
changes.
2. Breeding site fidelity in the northern spectacled salamander, Salamandrina perspicillata, an
Italian endemic vertebrate, was investigated with respect to the ability of this species to locate its own
home water rather than that from other places. The choice of aquatic habitat for spawning was
investigated in dark conditions by comparing different types of experimental water (home breeding
water vs. breeding water of allopatric populations vs. mineral water vs. distilled water). Fifty-eight
reproductive females were collected at four breeding sites in the Lepini Mountains (Latium, central
Italy). The number of eggs spawned by each specimen in the different types of experimental water
was counted.
3. The very large majority of the eggs were found in the home breeding water. When the eggs
counted in the other types of water were compared, no differences were found.
4. These findings revealed that in the northern spectacled salamander the choice of spawning site
was affected by the scent trail of its own aquatic habitat. This new information has improved
knowledge of the auto-ecology of S. perspicillata, thus contributing to strategies for its conservation
Non-native and hybrid in a changing environment: conservation perspectives for the last Italian red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) population with long natural history
Full text linkThe ever-increasing biotic homogenization - especially when associated with introgressive hybridization - raises concern for the reduction of the spatial component of diversity in wildlife worldwide. Nonetheless, there is a growing attention to the potential conservation value of hybridization in fastening the adaptive evolutionary responses to rapidly changing selective pressures. Under these premises, we investigated the genetic affinity of the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) population inhabiting Elba Island (Italy) in the context of the overall species phylogeography and particularly of the nominate subspecies it is traditionally ascribed to. Although notoriously hybrid with the congeneric A. chukar, this island population is of undisputedly value because of its long natural history and self-sustainability. As such, its adaptive conservation management calls for a comprehensive knowledge including the assessment of its geographic origin. For this purpose, 110 fecal samples were collected across Elba, genotyped at their joint Cytochrome-b and Control Region genes (2,249 characters), and compared with 149 conspecifics from all over the species distribution range. We confirmed a widespread A. chukar mitochondrial DNA introgression in Elba partridges, whereas their expected formal assignment to the nominate subspecies from Italy and France was rejected, since these turned out to be closely related to conspecifics from the Iberian Peninsula. This counterintuitive result found support in a large variety of literary sources and compelling evidences from personal testimonies revealing recent intense management with farm-reared birds of Spanish origin. Although the nativeness of Elba partridges was disproved, we advise local authorities to keep warranting the ongoing conservation efforts - and especially restore the connectivity between the western and eastern island sub-populations - as this resource may still be conceived as the ultimate repository for part of the otherwise extinct Italian A. r. rufa genome. Indeed, the admixture with conspecifics from the Iberian Peninsula does not necessarily mean that the entirety of the native nuclear genome of Elba partridges has been wiped out. Furthermore, these latter represent an interesting case study in conservation biology to investigate the possible role played by introgressive hybridization in the adaptation to recent land use and vegetation cover changes associated with rural abandonment in an insular yet heavily anthropized context
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