Genetic management of the baboon population in the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve

[摘要] Genetic management has become a critical part of the overall management of nonhumanprimate populations. This dissertation describes a genetic analysis of the chacma baboonpopulation at the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve. The aim of this study was to applygenetic data as a credible tool to contribute to the conservation and management ofchacma baboons at Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve. The specific objectives includedindividual identification, determining genetic relationships and levels of gene flowwithin- and among the fourteen troops, and to construct a genetic database withindividual genotypes of the whole population. A secondary objective of this study was todetermine whether it would be feasible to extract DNA from fecal samples collected froma sleeping site and then use the genetic profiles to determine the number of individuals inthat specific troop. The current population is estimated to be between 611 and 764animals. The sleeping site of the Diepkloof troop was used for this part of the study. Apanel of eleven human microsatellite markers was used for DNA analysis. DNA profilesfrom all the blood samples were successfully constructed and could be used to estimategenetic relationships. The level of genetic diversity in the Suikerbosrand baboonpopulation did not differ significantly from that in the outgroup. Thus, the reintroductionof new individuals into the population to maintain acceptable levels of diversity is not animmediate priority. High levels of gene flow were observed between the troops,especially the troops located in the central part of the reserve. In order to ensure highDNA quality from fecal samples collected at the sleeping site, the collection method forfecal samples were optimized (A manuscript based on the work in this section has beenaccepted for publication in the European Journal of Wildlife Research). The profilesobtained from the fecal samples that were collected at the Diepkloof site correspondedwith two of the thirteen profiles from the reference database. The estimated size of theDiepkloof troop is thirty seven individuals. The results show that non-invasive samplingcould be a promising alternative for future research on the reserve, as the samples can beused to determine individual profiles. The genetic data collected can be combined withecological and behavioral information collected form future research to further understand the population structure of the Suikerbosrand chacma baboons and changesthat might occur in the population.

[发布机构] University of the Free State