Loxodonta Localizer: A Software Tool for Inferring the Provenance of African Elephants and Their Ivory Using Mitochondrial DNA.

Autor:	Zhao K; Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL., Ishida Y; Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL., Green CE; Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL., Davidson AG; Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL., Sitam FAT; National Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, Ex-Situ Conservation Division, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Jalan Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Donnelly CL; Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL., De Flamingh A; Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL., Perrin-Stowe TIN; Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL., Bourgeois S; Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Libreville, Gabon., Brandt AL; Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.; Division of Natural Sciences, St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI., Mundis SJ; Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL., van Aarde RJ; Conservation Ecology Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa., Greenberg JA; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV., Malhi RS; Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL., Georgiadis NJ; Puget Sound Institute, University of Washington, Tacoma, WA., McEwing R; TRACE Wildlife Forensics Network, Edinburgh, UK., Roca AL; Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	The Journal of heredity [J Hered] 2019 Dec 17; Vol. 110 (7), pp. 761-768.
DOI:	10.1093/jhered/esz058
Abstrakt:	Illegal hunting is a major threat to the elephants of Africa, with more elephants killed by poachers than die from natural causes. DNA from tusks has been used to infer the source populations for confiscated ivory, relying on nuclear genetic markers. However, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences can also provide information on the geographic origins of elephants due to female elephant philopatry. Here, we introduce the Loxodonta Localizer (LL; www.loxodontalocalizer.org), an interactive software tool that uses a database of mtDNA sequences compiled from previously published studies to provide information on the potential provenance of confiscated ivory. A 316 bp control region sequence, which can be readily generated from DNA extracted from ivory, is used as a query. The software generates a listing of haplotypes reported among 1917 African elephants in 24 range countries, sorted in order of similarity to the query sequence. The African locations from which haplotype sequences have been previously reported are shown on a map. We demonstrate examples of haplotypes reported from only a single locality or country, examine the utility of the program in identifying elephants from countries with varying degrees of sampling, and analyze batches of confiscated ivory. The LL allows for the source of confiscated ivory to be assessed within days, using widely available molecular methods that do not depend on a particular platform or laboratory. The program enables identification of potential regions or localities from which elephants are being poached, with capacity for rapid identification of populations newly or consistently targeted by poachers. (© The American Genetic Association 2019.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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