Anthropogenic restocking of gharial individuals prevents genetic isolation of gharial population in Girwa River, India by geographic barriers imposed by a barrage

Author(s):  
Gaurav Vashistha ◽  
Sharma Deepika ◽  
Faiyaz Ahmed Khudsar ◽  
Parag Madhukar Dhakate ◽  
David Kothamasi

Abstract Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a critically endangered fresh water crocodile endemic to the Indian subcontinent. The species has suffered > 95% decline in population and habitat size. A small population of gharials comprising of 50 breeding adults is resident in a 20 Km stretch of the River Girwa in Katerniaghat wildlife sanctuary, India. Gharials in this 20 Km stretch have been genetically isolated since 1976 by a barrage that functions as a barrier to gene flow. A captive rear and release program has been initiated since 1979 under Project Crocodile for restocking declining wild gharial populations. Thousands of gharial eggs were collected from gharial populations at Girwa and Chambal Rivers. Hatchlings from the collected eggs were captive reared at a common location in Kukrail Gharial Centre, India and released back to multiple gharial populations including the isolated population at Girwa. This restocking programme was not preceded by a genetic screening of captive animals or wild populations to identify genetic diversity and genetic structure of both captive and wild animals. In this study we investigate whether release of captive reared gharials into the resident population at Girwa River has prevented genetic isolation caused due to barriers imposed by the barrage. Using a combination of empirical analysis using microsatellite markers and a systematic review of data from previous workers on molecular characterization of gharial populations, we analysed genetic differentiation in gharial populations at Girwa and Chambal. We found similar genetic variability in gharial populations of Girwa and Chambal. There was low inter population genetic differentiation and evidences of genetic migration between the two populations. Our findings indicate that anthropogenic intervention via release of captive animals has compensated for the genetic isolation in Girwa population caused by the barrage.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Surya Prasad Sharma ◽  
Mirza Ghazanfarullah Ghazi ◽  
Suyash Katdare ◽  
Niladri Dasgupta ◽  
Samrat Mondol ◽  
...  

AbstractThe gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a critically endangered crocodylian, endemic to the Indian subcontinent. The species has experienced severe population decline during the twentieth century owing to habitat loss, poaching, and mortalities in passive fishing. Its extant populations have largely recovered through translocation programmes initiated in 1975. Understanding the genetic status of these populations is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of the ongoing conservation efforts. This study assessed the genetic diversity, population structure, and evidence of genetic bottlenecks of the two managed populations inhabiting the Chambal and Girwa Rivers, which hold nearly 80% of the global gharial populations. We used seven polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci and a 520 bp partial fragment of the mitochondrial control region (CR). The overall mean allelic richness (Ar) was 2.80 ± 0.40, and the observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosities were 0.40 ± 0.05 and 0.39 ± 0.05, respectively. We observed low levels of genetic differentiation between populations (FST = 0.039, P < 0.05; G’ST = 0.058, P < 0.05 Jost’s D = 0.016, P < 0.05). The bottleneck analysis using the M ratio (Chambal = 0.31 ± 0.06; Girwa = 0.41 ± 0.12) suggested the presence of a genetic bottleneck in both populations. The mitochondrial CR also showed a low level of variation, with two haplotypes observed in the Girwa population. This study highlights the low level of genetic diversity in the two largest managed gharial populations in the wild. Hence, it is recommended to assess the genetic status of extant wild and captive gharial populations for planning future translocation programmes to ensure long-term survival in the wild.


1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1776-1781
Author(s):  
M Fukui ◽  
T Yamamoto ◽  
S Kawai ◽  
F Mitsunobu ◽  
K Toyoshima

Results of previous studies have shown that a raf-related transforming DNA sequence is present in NIH 3T3 transformants that are derived from GL-5-JCK human glioblastoma DNA transfection. The transforming DNA was molecularly cloned by using cosmid vector pJB8 to determine its structure and origin. Analyses of selected clones revealed that the transforming DNA consisted of three portions of human DNA sequences, with the 3' half of the c-raf-1 gene as its middle portion. This raf region was about 20 kilobases long and contained exons 8 to 17 and the poly(A) addition site. RNA blot analysis showed that the raf-related transforming DNA was transcribed into 5.3-, 4.8-, and 2.5-kilobase mRNAs; the 2.5-kilobase transcript was thought to be the major transcript. Immunoprecipitation analyses revealed that a 44-kilodalton raf-related protein was specifically expressed in the NIH 3T3 transformants. The raf-related transforming DNA was considered to be activated when its amino-terminal sequence was truncated and the DNA was coupled with a foreign promoter sequence. On hybridization analysis of the original GL-5-JCK glioblastoma DNA, no rearrangement of c-raf-1 was detectable in the tumor DNA. The rearrangement of c-raf-1 may have occurred during transfection or may have been present in a small population of the original tumor cells as a result of tumor progression.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (17) ◽  
pp. e2014719118
Author(s):  
Kathryn M. Everson ◽  
Levi N. Gray ◽  
Angela G. Jones ◽  
Nicolette M. Lawrence ◽  
Mary E. Foley ◽  
...  

The North American tiger salamander species complex, including its best-known species, the Mexican axolotl, has long been a source of biological fascination. The complex exhibits a wide range of variation in developmental life history strategies, including populations and individuals that undergo metamorphosis; those able to forego metamorphosis and retain a larval, aquatic lifestyle (i.e., paedomorphosis); and those that do both. The evolution of a paedomorphic life history state is thought to lead to increased population genetic differentiation and ultimately reproductive isolation and speciation, but the degree to which it has shaped population- and species-level divergence is poorly understood. Using a large multilocus dataset from hundreds of samples across North America, we identified genetic clusters across the geographic range of the tiger salamander complex. These clusters often contain a mixture of paedomorphic and metamorphic taxa, indicating that geographic isolation has played a larger role in lineage divergence than paedomorphosis in this system. This conclusion is bolstered by geography-informed analyses indicating no effect of life history strategy on population genetic differentiation and by model-based population genetic analyses demonstrating gene flow between adjacent metamorphic and paedomorphic populations. This fine-scale genetic perspective on life history variation establishes a framework for understanding how plasticity, local adaptation, and gene flow contribute to lineage divergence. Many members of the tiger salamander complex are endangered, and the Mexican axolotl is an important model system in regenerative and biomedical research. Our results chart a course for more informed use of these taxa in experimental, ecological, and conservation research.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 179-183
Author(s):  
Anca Chisoi ◽  
Mariana Aşchie ◽  
I. Poinăreanu

Abstract The morphometry in histopathology is used to characterize cell populations belonging to different tissues and to identify differences in their parameters with prognostic implications. To achieve morphometric examination were selected 6 of 24 cases identified as small cell lymphocytic lymphoma. For each case analysis was done on five fields, for each field measuring the parameters of 20 cells. The studied parameters were for cytoplasm: cytoplasmic area, maximum and minimum cytoplasmic diameter, cytoplasmic perimeter; for nucleus were measured: nuclear area, minimum and maximum nuclear diameter, nuclear perimeter, nuclear contour index, nuclear ellipticity index, nuclear irregularity index. Also the nucleocytoplasmic ratio was calculated in all studied cases. Small cell lymphocytic lymphoma is characterized in morphometric terms having a small cytoplasmic area (average 29.206) and also a small nuclear area (mean 28.939) having a nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio appearance suggestive for adult lymphocyte. A nuclear contour index small value (3.946), ellipticity index value also small (3.521) and small nuclear irregularity index (3.965). Standard deviations, in any of the studied morphometric categories, is around or below 1 suggesting monomorphic cell appearance. These morphometric and microscopic features characterized mainly by a small population of adult lymphocytes, monomorphic, with rounded hipercromic nuclei, dense chromatin, support the framing into indolent lymphoma group in terms of clinical outcome.


Author(s):  
Smita Bordoloi ◽  
Anju Nayak ◽  
A.P. Singh ◽  
R.V. Singh ◽  
Kajal Jadav ◽  
...  

Background: Newcastle disease (ND) in spite of the availability of vaccines remains a constant threat to poultry producers worldwide. It is prevalent in Indian subcontinent and leads to economic losses. The present study was aimed with isolate and identify virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in layer poultry from field outbreaks.Methods: Total 47 samples consisting of nasal (05), oropharyngeal (13) and cloacal swabs (11) and tissue samples consisting of trachea (07), lungs (06), larynx (05) were collected from layer birds. For isolation of NDV swab and tissue samples were inoculated in 9-11 days old embryonated eggs via allantoic cavity route. After preparing the viral inoculum, 47 suspected samples (29 swab and 18 tissue samples) were inoculated in 141 embryonated eggs to isolate the virus.Result: Out of 47 samples 10 (21.27%) samples were positive for HA activity. All the 10 isolates showing HA activity subjected to Reverse-Transcriptase PCR of F gene and 6 were found positive in RT-PCR for F1 gene. The PCR amplified product showed amplicon at 356 bp and 254 bp positive for F1 and F2 gene, respectively. On basis of F gene, 06 (50%) isolates were considered as virulent Newcastle Disease Virus. One isolate sequence was submitted at NCBI with accession MT890653 On phylogenetic analysis MT890653 designated as Class II/ genotype II/ virulent strain and had the motif 112R-R-R-K-R-F117 at the cleavage site of the fusion protein.


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