The modern state of the European saiga population (<i>Saiga tatarica tatarica</i>): mtDNA, <i>DRB3</i> MHC gene, and microsatellite diversity

The North-West Pre-Caspian saiga (Saiga tatarica tatarica) population numbers was about 800 thousand individuals in the middle of the last century. There was a dramatic decline at the end of the 20th century, and by 2015 this saiga population numbers and was about five thousand animals. Our paper presents the results of microsatellite loci and of the mtDNA control region analysis obtained for the museum saiga samples from the North-West Pre-Caspian population, collected at the peak of their numbers in the 1950s. We compared these data with our previous results for the samples collected during the population depression in1999–2016. There were no noticeable differences of mtDNA control region diversity between the museum and modern saiga samples. The most vivid genetic consequence of the severe decline in population numbers was a significant increase of the inbreeding coefficient (Fis) calculated from the microsatellite loci.

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A study into the current state of Saiga tatarica L. populations with the use of retrospective data

Begilov,

Grachev,

Eszhanov

2024

Acta Sci. Anim. Sci.

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The saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica tatarica L., 1766, S) is a prominent ungulate mammal species inhabiting Central Asia. Over the latter half of the 20th century, saiga populations, including the Volga-Ural (Kazakhstan) population, experienced a continuous decline. However, there was a resurgence in their numbers in the 1980s. This study aims to assess the present status of saiga populations, particularly the Volga-Ural (V-U) population, by analyzing existing retrospective data. Our findings reveal that during the 21st century, the saiga population has increased in two key regions: the Volga-Ural and Betpak-Dala (B) populations. Notably, the Northern-Western Population (NWP) habitat saw a drastic 50-fold decline in population, while other populations decreased by 2.0-5.0 times. Despite this decline, the NWP habitat exhibited higher juvenile saiga yields compared to other regions. The resurgence of saiga populations has been significantly influenced by the support of the Government of Kazakhstan, along with the effective efforts of international wildlife conservation organizations and local community engagement.

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The modern state of the European saiga population (Saiga tatarica tatarica): mtDNA, DRB3 MHC gene, and microsatellite diversity

Cited by 4 publications

References 80 publications

Genetic Consequences of the Dramatic Decline in the Northwest Pre-Caspian Saiga (Saiga tatarica tatarica) Population: A Comparison of Modern and Museum Samples on mtDNA and Microsatellite Loci

Genetic Consequences of the Dramatic Decline in the Northwest Pre-Caspian Saiga (Saiga tatarica tatarica) Population: A Comparison of Modern and Museum Samples on mtDNA and Microsatellite Loci

Genetic consequences of the dramatic decline in the north-west pre-caspian saiga (Saiga tatarica tatarica) population: a comparison of modern and museum samples on mtDNA and microsatellite loci

A study into the current state of Saiga tatarica L. populations with the use of retrospective data

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