Mediterranean red-legged (Alectoris rufa)
and rock (Alectoris graeca) partridge populations are
affected by genetic pollution. The chukar partridge
(Alectoris chukar), a species only partly native to
Europe, is the most frequently introgressive taxon
detected in the genome of hybrid partridges. Both
theoretical (evolutionary) and practical (resources
management) matters spur to get insight into the
geographic origin of the A. chukar hybridizing swarm.
The phenotypic A. rufa populations colonizing the
easternmost part of the distribution range of this species,
the islands of Elba (Italy) and Corsica (France), were
investigated. The analysis of both mitochondrial
(mtDNA: Cytochrome-b gene plus Control Region:
2,250 characters) and nuclear (Short Tandem Repeats,
STR; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA, RAPD)
genomes of 25 wild (Elba) and 20 captive (Corsica)
partridges, disclosed spread introgression of chukar
origin also in these populations. All mtDNA haplotypes
of Elba and Corsica partridges along with those we
obtained from other A. rufa (total, n = 111: Italy,Spain,
France) and A. graeca (n = 6, Italy), were compared
with the mtDNA haplotypes of chukars (n = 205)
sampled in 20 countries. It was found that the A. chukar
genes detected in red-legged (n = 43) and rock partridges
(n = 4) of Spain, France and Italy as well as in
either introduced (Italy) or native (Greece, Turkey)
chukars (n = 35) were all fromEastAsia. Hence, awelldefined
geographic origin of the exotic chukar genes
polluting the genome of native Mediterranean A. rufa
and A. graeca (inter-specific level) as well as A. chukar
(intra-specific level), was demonstrated
The chukar (Alectoris chukar, Galliformes) is one of the most important game birds as it is widely distributed and hunted over the whole of its range. The aim of this work was to assess the genetic differentiation as well as the possible presence of hybrid specimens in A. chukar populations from Italy, Greece and Cyprus. To provide phylogenetic context, conspecific, allopatric specimens from Israel, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mongolia, China and USA were compared. Sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Control Region supplied information on the ancestry of A. chukar populations, whereas Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting was used to assess whether hybridization had occurred. The Italian population was found to be an inter-specific mixture of A. chukar and A. rufa (i.e., the red-legged partridge) mtDNA lineages, whereas the representatives from Greece and Cyprus showed only the A. chukar maternal line. RAPD markers revealed introgression with A. rufa genes in the Italian population, whereas no A. chukar x A. rufa hybrid specimens were detected in the eastern Mediterranean populations. The genetic data obtained from the Italian A. chukar population as well as from a few Greek specimens pointed against their Mediterranean kinship, suggesting relationships with A. chukar subspecies from the easternmost part of the Asian continent.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.