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Evolutionary distinctiveness and historical decline in genetic diversity in the Seychelles Black Parrot Coracopsis nigra barklyi

Jackson, Hazel A., Bunbury, Nancy, Przelomska, Natalia, Groombridge, Jim J. (2016) Evolutionary distinctiveness and historical decline in genetic diversity in the Seychelles Black Parrot Coracopsis nigra barklyi. Ibis, . pp. 1-15. ISSN 0019-1019. E-ISSN 1474-919X. (doi:10.1111/ibi.12343) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:53727)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ibi.12343

Abstract

Island endemic species are acutely vulnerable to extinction as a result of stochastic and human impacts. Conservation of unique island biodiversity is high priority, and an understanding of the evolutionary history of vulnerable island species is important to inform conservation management. The Seychelles Black Parrot Coracopsis nigra barklyi is an island endemic threatened with extinction. The total population of 520–900 individu- als is restricted to the 38-km2 island of Praslin, and it is one of the last few remaining endemic island parrots that survive in the Indian Ocean. We combined mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA markers with morphological data to examine the evolutionary distinctiveness of C. n. barklyi within Coracopsis, and to compare levels of genetic diver- sity between historical and contemporary specimens. Phylogenetic analyses revealed C. n. barklyi as sister to the remaining three C. nigra subspecies, and discriminant func- tion analysis suggested the Seychelles Black Parrot is the smallest of the four subspecies. Higher levels of genetic diversity were observed in historical specimens, whereas only one mtDNA haplotype was observed in the contemporary specimens, suggesting that C. n. barklyi has lost genetic diversity as a consequence of substantial recent population decline. This study provides a first insight into the evolutionary, genetic and morphologi- cal processes that have shaped C. n. barklyi and provides an important perspective on this parrot’s current genetic status to guide its future conservation management. Further ecological studies are essential but we suggest that C. n. barklyi should be managed as an evolutionary significant unit to conserve its unique evolutionary pathway

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1111/ibi.12343
Uncontrolled keywords: conservation management, endemic, evolutionarily significant unit, island, molecular phylogeny, morphometric.
Subjects: Q Science > QH Natural history > QH426 Genetics
Q Science > QH Natural history > QH75 Conservation (Biology)
Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation > DICE (Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology)
Depositing User: Jim Groombridge
Date Deposited: 19 Jan 2016 10:14 UTC
Last Modified: 17 Aug 2022 12:20 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/53727 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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